BAKU LABELS LIST OF ARMAMENT PURCHASED BY AZERBAIJAN AS ‘MISINFORMATION OF PRO-ARMENIAN MEDIA IN RUSSIA’
PanARMENIAN.Net
24.07.2008 13:37 GMT+04:00
The Russian media’s data on weaponry purchased by Azerbaijan "doesn’t
correspond to the truth," said the press office of the Azerbaijani
Defense Ministry.
The report has been labeled as misinformation disseminated by
pro-Armenia media in Russia and as a part of propaganda war.
"The article was written to present Azerbaijan as an aggressor state,"
the Ministry said, 1news.az reports.
Meanwhile, the information posted on Moscow Defense Brief website says,
in part,
"In 2005, Azerbaijan signed a contract with Ukraine for the delivery
of 12 MiG-29 fighters, two MiG-29UB aircraft, and 12 L-39 training
aircraft. It bought 12 Su-25 assault planes (probably Czech) and one
Su-27UB from Georgia. Negotiations with Ukraine for the acquisition of
Su-27 fighters and Su-25 assault planes have also been reported, along
with modernization in Ukraine of Azeri Mi-24 combat helicopters by
the South African ATE company’s Super Hind Mk-III program. Azerbaijan
is reportedly looking to acquire 24 of the new Chinese FC-1 light
fighters. It is also purchasing UAVs from Israel.
>>From 2007, Azerbaijan began to acquire arms from Russia. In
particular, Azerbaijan was the first to place an order for the new
Russian BTR-90, signing a contract with the Arzamas Machine Building
Plant for delivery in 2008 of a few BTR-90s and 70 BTR-80A. One of
the conditions of the agreement reached in 2002 over the status of
the Gabalina radar station was the provision of military assistance
to modernize Azerbaijan’s air force and air defense systems,
the training of Azeri military in Russia, and repair services for
military equipment.
As for NATO, in spite of Azerbaijan’s fairly active assertions
of its intentions to join the alliance, to meet NATO standards
and the like, cooperation with Western countries has been limited
to relatively modest military assistance and training. Turkey has
provided the greatest amount of aid, reaching a total of 170 million
USD in 2005. Azerbaijan has also purchased small arms and modern
communications equipment from American and Israeli firms on a purely
commercial basis."