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Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
January 12, 2007 Friday
ARMENIA COUNTS ON RUSSIA;
... and on Azerbaijani Islamists
by Nurani
ARMENIA COUNTS ON EXPANSION OF MILITARY COOPERATION WITH RUSSIA
ISLAMIZATION OF AZERBAIJAN; Russian-Armenian military-technical
cooperation: a look from Azerbaijan.
Seeing Azerbaijan boost its military budget, Armenia pins its hopes
on broader military cooperation with Russia. Defense Minister Serj
Sarkisjan told journalists that Armenia would only be happy if Russia
made some of its sophisticated weaponry available to this country.
As a matter of fact, it was Sarkisjan's comments on the reaction of
Baku to the establishment of the Russian-Armenian antiaircraft
defense system. Russian AF Second-in-Command (for the CIS united
Antiaircraft Defense System) Lieutenant General Aitech Bijev told
media outlets that a regional Russian-Armenian antiaircraft defense
system would be established in the Caucasus. "Meeting of the
Coordinating Committee of the CIS United Antiaircraft Defense System
will take place in Yerevan on February 17. The new united regional
antiaircraft defense system in the Caucasus will be presented there,"
Bijev said. "We will acquaint all CIS Armed Forces and Antiaircraft
Forces commanders with the new system comprising Russian and Armenian
antiaircraft defense means." Bijev reminded his audience that Russia
has the 102nd Military Base in Yerevan. The facility includes
antiaircraft defense troops with sophisticated S-300 antiaircraft
complexes. Russia also has an AF Base in Yerebuni where MIG-29
fighters are stationed. Russia helped Armenia with its national
antiaircraft defense last year - repaired hardware, control and fire
command systems, and trained Armenian servicemen for S-300s handling.
"It is not Armenia that boasts of its military budget. It was not
Armenia that launched this arms race," Bijev said commenting on
Azerbaijan's disappointment in the "asymmetric" Russian-Armenian
military cooperation. "Armenia does not protest when Azerbaijan buys
many MIG-29s from Ukraine. It is their affair after all. Similarly,
we too are free in our plans and actions."
No need to remind here that the growth of Azerbaijani arms spending
is but one of the manifestations due to changes in the correlations
of forces in the Caucasus. "Launch" of oil and gas super projects,
rapid economic growth, increased investment activity that is not
restricted to the oil sector alone - all of that couldn't help having
its effect. It should have been expected from Armenia to try to
"balance out the situation" with its showy friendship with Russia. On
the one hand, there are certainly forces in Moscow that wouldn't mind
seeing our country "properly punished" for what they regard as undue
independence. After all, the soaring gas tariffs and the hysterical
campaign against "immigrants" must have been ordered by the political
leadership. On the other hand, the Kremlin is clearly upset by the
rise of anti-Russian moods in Armenia that are fomented by numerous
factors varying from murders of Armenians by Russian
ultra-nationalists to the gas tariffs to Gazprom's intention to buy
the gas pipeline from Iran to Armenia. Viewed against this
background, somebody in Russia may certainly find this showy military
assistance to Yerevan a convenient way to kill two birds with one
stone: to calm down the Armenian "outpost" and put Azerbaijan under
pressure.
Armenian political scientist Alexander Iskandarjan made an
interesting statement at his press conference in Yerevan. As far as
Iskandarjan is concerned, "a turn to Islam" is possible in
Azerbaijan. This political scientist is convinced that Azerbaijan
actually comprises two countries: Baku and the provinces and they are
absolutely different. "Baku is a civilized European city. Now the
provinces, they live by other laws, Islamic ones more often than not.
This division is typical of all Middle East countries and Azerbaijan
is not an exception," Iskandarjan said. The political scientist
emphasized that Baku lives by the oil pipe and the provinces by
immigrants in Russia. "Should one of these components malfunction,
the country may take literally any turn, even Islamic," Iskandarjan
said.
It is clear in the meantime that this "Islamic turn" in Azerbaijan -
or even illusion of one - is in the interest of Armenia and its
Russian allies. It should be reminded here as well that Armenia
enjoys fairly warm relations with Iran and with radical Islamic
regimes, or that Arabs take an active part in the anti-Turkish
rallies in France organized by the Armenian groups. In other words,
"jihad promoters" are not going to challenge Armenia for Azerbaijan,
but the loss of support in the West becomes a distinct possibility.
And that will certainly benefit Moscow. After all, it was in January
1990 (11 years before the terrorist acts in the United States) that
Moscow excused its punitive expedition to Baku by references to the
"Islamic turnover orchestrated there." Needless to say, the methods
that were quite all right in 1991-1994 are no longer applicable or
possible. In fact, it will even be difficult to make Armenia another
"gift" of military hardware worth $1 billion. On the other hand, it
is these speculations over the "Islamic factor", "strategists" in
Yerevan and Moscow alike are convinced, that will warrant Moscow's
political interference. And no need to act surprised upon hearing
that religious extremist literature in Azerbaijan often appears from
the north.
Source: Ekho (Baku), December 28, 2006, EV
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
January 12, 2007 Friday
ARMENIA COUNTS ON RUSSIA;
... and on Azerbaijani Islamists
by Nurani
ARMENIA COUNTS ON EXPANSION OF MILITARY COOPERATION WITH RUSSIA
ISLAMIZATION OF AZERBAIJAN; Russian-Armenian military-technical
cooperation: a look from Azerbaijan.
Seeing Azerbaijan boost its military budget, Armenia pins its hopes
on broader military cooperation with Russia. Defense Minister Serj
Sarkisjan told journalists that Armenia would only be happy if Russia
made some of its sophisticated weaponry available to this country.
As a matter of fact, it was Sarkisjan's comments on the reaction of
Baku to the establishment of the Russian-Armenian antiaircraft
defense system. Russian AF Second-in-Command (for the CIS united
Antiaircraft Defense System) Lieutenant General Aitech Bijev told
media outlets that a regional Russian-Armenian antiaircraft defense
system would be established in the Caucasus. "Meeting of the
Coordinating Committee of the CIS United Antiaircraft Defense System
will take place in Yerevan on February 17. The new united regional
antiaircraft defense system in the Caucasus will be presented there,"
Bijev said. "We will acquaint all CIS Armed Forces and Antiaircraft
Forces commanders with the new system comprising Russian and Armenian
antiaircraft defense means." Bijev reminded his audience that Russia
has the 102nd Military Base in Yerevan. The facility includes
antiaircraft defense troops with sophisticated S-300 antiaircraft
complexes. Russia also has an AF Base in Yerebuni where MIG-29
fighters are stationed. Russia helped Armenia with its national
antiaircraft defense last year - repaired hardware, control and fire
command systems, and trained Armenian servicemen for S-300s handling.
"It is not Armenia that boasts of its military budget. It was not
Armenia that launched this arms race," Bijev said commenting on
Azerbaijan's disappointment in the "asymmetric" Russian-Armenian
military cooperation. "Armenia does not protest when Azerbaijan buys
many MIG-29s from Ukraine. It is their affair after all. Similarly,
we too are free in our plans and actions."
No need to remind here that the growth of Azerbaijani arms spending
is but one of the manifestations due to changes in the correlations
of forces in the Caucasus. "Launch" of oil and gas super projects,
rapid economic growth, increased investment activity that is not
restricted to the oil sector alone - all of that couldn't help having
its effect. It should have been expected from Armenia to try to
"balance out the situation" with its showy friendship with Russia. On
the one hand, there are certainly forces in Moscow that wouldn't mind
seeing our country "properly punished" for what they regard as undue
independence. After all, the soaring gas tariffs and the hysterical
campaign against "immigrants" must have been ordered by the political
leadership. On the other hand, the Kremlin is clearly upset by the
rise of anti-Russian moods in Armenia that are fomented by numerous
factors varying from murders of Armenians by Russian
ultra-nationalists to the gas tariffs to Gazprom's intention to buy
the gas pipeline from Iran to Armenia. Viewed against this
background, somebody in Russia may certainly find this showy military
assistance to Yerevan a convenient way to kill two birds with one
stone: to calm down the Armenian "outpost" and put Azerbaijan under
pressure.
Armenian political scientist Alexander Iskandarjan made an
interesting statement at his press conference in Yerevan. As far as
Iskandarjan is concerned, "a turn to Islam" is possible in
Azerbaijan. This political scientist is convinced that Azerbaijan
actually comprises two countries: Baku and the provinces and they are
absolutely different. "Baku is a civilized European city. Now the
provinces, they live by other laws, Islamic ones more often than not.
This division is typical of all Middle East countries and Azerbaijan
is not an exception," Iskandarjan said. The political scientist
emphasized that Baku lives by the oil pipe and the provinces by
immigrants in Russia. "Should one of these components malfunction,
the country may take literally any turn, even Islamic," Iskandarjan
said.
It is clear in the meantime that this "Islamic turn" in Azerbaijan -
or even illusion of one - is in the interest of Armenia and its
Russian allies. It should be reminded here as well that Armenia
enjoys fairly warm relations with Iran and with radical Islamic
regimes, or that Arabs take an active part in the anti-Turkish
rallies in France organized by the Armenian groups. In other words,
"jihad promoters" are not going to challenge Armenia for Azerbaijan,
but the loss of support in the West becomes a distinct possibility.
And that will certainly benefit Moscow. After all, it was in January
1990 (11 years before the terrorist acts in the United States) that
Moscow excused its punitive expedition to Baku by references to the
"Islamic turnover orchestrated there." Needless to say, the methods
that were quite all right in 1991-1994 are no longer applicable or
possible. In fact, it will even be difficult to make Armenia another
"gift" of military hardware worth $1 billion. On the other hand, it
is these speculations over the "Islamic factor", "strategists" in
Yerevan and Moscow alike are convinced, that will warrant Moscow's
political interference. And no need to act surprised upon hearing
that religious extremist literature in Azerbaijan often appears from
the north.
Source: Ekho (Baku), December 28, 2006, EV