Posted 09/26/05 09:39

Armenia Bolsters Air Force With 10 Russian Fighters
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, YEREVAN

Armenia has taken delivery of 10 new Russian-made SU fighter jets as part of
a program to update its air force, Armenian Defense Minister Spokesperson
Seiran Shakhsuvaryan said Sept. 26.

“The purpose… is to update the air fleet. We previously had a total of six
such fighters,” the minister told AFP.

He added that the purchase was in compliance with international agreements
limiting the size of conventional forces in Europe.

Armenia’s arch-rival Azerbaijan has been building up its armed forces,
saying it may one day need to use force to retake territory seized by
Armenia in a conflict in the 1990s – should bilateral talks on the problem
fail.

Of the three South Caucasus countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia –
Armenia has maintained the closest ties with Moscow since the end of Soviet
rule in 1991.