YEREVAN, July 7. /TASS/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the Kalashnikov assault rifle production facility that opened in the republic on July 3. The visit by the Armenian premier was broadcast by local news portals.

The production facility was opened under an agreement between the Armenian company Neitron GAM and Russia’s Kalashnikov Group.

"The enterprise plans to annually produce 50,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles that will be supplied to the Armenian armed forces. We also intend to export the assault rifles. We will also be producing 150 million cartridges annually. About 1,200 jobs have been created," the enterprise’s spokesperson said.

As the press office of the Armenian prime minister reported, Pashinyan noted the importance of opening such a production facility in the republic and called its existence the best example of cooperation between Armenia and Russia in the defense sphere. Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergei Kopyrkin visited the Kalashnikov assault rifle production facility together with the Armenian premier.

President of the Armenian company Royalsys Engineering Ltd. David Galstyan and Deputy Director of the Kalashnikov Group Andrei Baryshnikov signed agreements at the Army-2018 international arms show and the National Security Week conference in August 2018 on the manufacture of the latest AK-12 and AK-15 Kalashnikov assault rifles.

The AK-12 was unveiled to the public at the Victory Parade in Moscow on May 9 last year when about 400 paratroopers of an Airborne Force consolidated regiment marched with these assault rifles across Red Square.

The new assault rifle is distinguished by its improved ergonomics compared to its AK-74M and AKM predecessors. The assault rifle’s upgrade has increased its accuracy of fire and the survivability of its barrel whose production is now based on new technology.