THE STORY OF A WEAPON

Lragir/am
23 March 06

Member of Parliament Shavarsh Kocharyan thinks Russia is not our
strategic partner, because in the years of collapse of the Soviet
Union Armenia received 1.5-2.5 times less tanks, guns, armored
machines, helicopters, than Azerbaijan. We did not get planes at all,
whereas Azerbaijan got 50.

Hearing this statement, the deputy chairman of the All-Armenian
Movement Aram Manukyan said it was not quite true, but he said, `I am
not telling what I know and what I can tell.’

Manuk Gasparyan, who had been listening to all this, carried on the
topic. According to him, along with the withdrawal of the Russian
forces from Georgia the `scrap metal’ weapons are brought to
Armenia. In the meantime, Azerbaijan will acquire modern weapons. The
weapon brought from Georgia to Armenia is `junk weapon,’ agreed Aram
Manukyan.

By the way, in accordance with the European convention on restriction
of conventional weapons, the weapons of the Russian military bases in
Armenia are `counted’ in the arsenal of Armenia.