Pashinyan Demands That Russia Returns Money For Undelivered Weapons
20- 24.11.2023, 19:05
- 26,954
The weapons ordered and paid for did not arrive in the country.
Yerevan is holding consultations on mechanisms for returning money for weapons that Russia promised to supply to Armenia, but never sent. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke about this, as quoted by TASS.
“As for the non-provision of weapons and equipment in exchange for payments, then, of course, there are such problems. Consultations are underway on mechanisms for solving these problems; there are many options, for example, reducing Armenia’s debt to the Russian Federation in exchange for the amount paid; the Russian Federation itself needs weapons. We are ready to work, we hope that the discussions will bring concrete results,” said the country’s Prime Minister.
In May, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Mnatsakan Safaryan said that the weapons ordered and paid for did not arrive in the country. He stressed that work to resolve this issue continues.
According to the Armenian newspaper Zhoghovurd, this refers to a contract between the Armenian Ministry of Defense and the Russian NPO Splav for the supply of Smerch-type missiles. The publication's sources noted that the products were ready for delivery, but were not picked up by the Armenian side. Russia, which is waging war in Ukraine, subsequently delayed the delivery because it needed the missiles itself.
Safaryan emphasized that at the moment the issue of Armenia's withdrawal from the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) is not being considered. In January 2023, Armenia refused to conduct exercises with the organization, and in March it abandoned its quota for leadership positions in it.
First deputy head of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs Konstantin Zatulin admitted this information on November 21 on the radio station “Moscow Speaks”. “Yes, they purchased weapons from us,” he said. Zatulin explained that Russia is delaying deliveries due to the war in Ukraine and Yerevan is taking advantage of the current situation.
