A GHOST BATTLESHIP FOR ARMENIA: YEREVAN DENIES EXISTENCE OF MILITARY CONTACTS WITH TIRANA
by Yury Simonyan, translated by Pavel Pushkin

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
Nezavisimaya Gazeta
July 30, 2007 Monday

Armenia denies information about an attempt to buy a large batch of
armament from albania; Turkey denied the transit of a large batch of
armament and ammunition for Armenia to Albania, reported BBC Monitoring
European in IndustryWatch with reference to Albanian Gazeta Shqiptare.

Turkey denied the transit of a large batch of armament and ammunition
for Armenia to Albania, reported BBC Monitoring European in
IndustryWatch with reference to Albanian Gazeta Shqiptare.

The text published by the IndustryWatch website quotes the words of
Prime Minister of Albania, Sali Berish, that Turkey forced an Albanian
ship with armament to turn back. Berish said, "One of our ships with
60 containers filled mostly with heavy artillery and ammunition was
heading from the port of Durres to Istanbul." He pointed out that the
problematic relations of Turkey and Armenia resulted in a situation
when the ship had to return and unload the armament in Durres.

The publication also quotes a top-ranking representative of Albanian
company MEIKO specializing in armament trade as saying that Albania
does not care about the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, "All procedures
of sale were in order and complied with the law. Now we are considering
the possibility of using other routes."

According to description of the deal, a representative of the Defense
Ministry of Armenia contacted the Defense Ministry of Albania and
expressed readiness to pay for a large batch of armament including
air defense guns with calibers from 75 mm to 122 mm. However, the
operation was ruined by Turkish authorities.

Colonel Seiran Shakhsuvaryan, press secretary of the Defense Ministry
of Armenia, announced, "The Defense Ministry of Armenia did not
sign any deals for the armament purchase of Albania. We consider
the published information as another Turkish-Azerbaijani provocation
against Armenia."

Any private paramilitary organizations of Armenia could not turn to
Tirana for weapons either. Lieutenant Colonel Musheg Kroyan, deputy
director of the PR department of the police of Armenia, commented,
"All trading operations with combat weapons are conducted only through
the Defense Ministry. According to the law, private security companies
have a right to buy and use pump and pneumatic small arms that can
be bought in local stores and this is under control."

Artvin Bagramyan, official spokesperson for the national security
council of Armenia, commended laconically, "Gibberish!" A top-ranking
representative of this organization pointed at the absurd nature of
the publication, "Our strategic partner is Russia, who produces the
best armament in the world. The Armenian army is armed with Russian
weapons. Why do we need to order weapons in Muslim Albania and to
deliver it via Turkey-whose relations with our country we do not even
need to speak of–and not, say, deliver the weapons via the ports of
Russia or by a direct air flight?!"

Most likely, the Foreign Ministry of Armenia will not leave the
scandal with "Albanian armament" without comment. The Foreign Ministry
simultaneously denied other rumors regarding the instruction received
from international organizations regarding significant excess of
armament in Armenia. Officials of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia
said, "To date, not a single delegation inspecting Armenia under
the CFE registered the volumes of armament exceeding international
agreements. This information that has nothing in common with reality."