Russia and Armenia to ratify direct weaponry purchase deal

Russia and Armenia are going to ratify an important agreement, envisaging direct purchases from Russian military plants in the near future, PanArmenian.net reports on Tuesday.

The deal will provide Armenia with exclusive rights. “There’s a similar agreement with Belarus, yet it contains some reservations, which the deal with Armenia does not,” the news agency cites a source in the Armenian parliament as saying.

During the visit of the Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev to Armenia in June 2013 a military and technical cooperation agreement was signed by the two countries.

The agreement stipulates that each side supply military products with the same specifications as for their own armed forces. The agreement also enables the supplier to exert control over the presence of products and their compliance with the intended use to be described in an additional treaty, PanArmenian.net reports.

According to another deal, Armenia and Russia will form a joint defense enterprise as well as training centers for border guards and emergency situation experts. With Russia’s assistance, Armenia’s defense industry will launch production of ammunition and armaments, as well as form a repair base for land, air and air defense forces, the news agency informs.