The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

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Postby Armenian on Sat Mar 03, 2007 4:43 am

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Allied Relations with Russia Vitally Important for Armenia

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russia, in the person of the reasonable part of its leadership, is trying to maintain its presence and influence in the Caucasus. It’s important for Russia to prevent destabilization in the North Caucasus, deployment of NATO military bases and projection of military force inland, first vice-president of the Academy of Geopolitical Studies, Colonel General Leonid Ivashov stated in an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

In his words, Armenia is Russia’s monument point in the South Caucasus. “At the same time it’s vitally important for Armenia to have allied relations with Russia. If Armenia relies on promises made by the West it will lose its state system and independence,” Ivashov said. He remarked that Armenia has the right to establish relations with whom it wishes. “But if it conflicts with Russia’s interests it can transform cooperation into the level of mutually beneficial relations without any political or economic preferences. However such situation will conflict with Armenia’s national interests and result in the isolation of the republic and even in its collapse,” the Russian scientist said.

Leonid Ivashov reminded that numerous Armenian Diaspora lives in Russia. “I think it could make a great contribution to the development of the Russian-Armenian allied relations,” he noted.

News Source: http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/print/?nid=17440
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Postby Armenian on Sat Mar 03, 2007 4:46 am

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Top Missile Designer Says Russia's Covered

By Nabi Abdullaev Staff Writer

In a rare news conference, the designer of Russia's intercontinental ballistic missiles dismissed on Thursday a warning that Russia was falling behind the United States in the number of active nuclear warheads it has and said his Topol-M and Bulava missiles would serve as a sufficient deterrent until at least 2040.

"I assure you that the number of active warheads the strategic nuclear forces will have in 2015 and even in 2020 will be no less than 2,000," said Yury Solomonov, head and chief designer at the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology, Russia's leading designer of intercontinental missiles. Solomonov's assertion came in response to speculation in analytical circles that the number of Topol-Ms commissioned every year would have to be quadrupled to leave Russia with 1,700 operational warheads by 2012. President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President George W. Bush signed the Strategic Offensive Reduction Treaty in 2002, which requires both sides to cut their nuclear arsenals to 1,700 to 2,200 warheads by 2012.

Russian defense analysts are concerned that the number of Russian nuclear weapons could fall below the treaty's lower threshold because only five to six single-warhead Topol-Ms are being rolled out every year, while an increasing number of Soviet-made missiles carrying multiple warheads are being decommissioned. To compensate for the decommissioned missiles, the military will announce later this year a plan to adapt the Bulava missile, which can carry six warheads but is designed for nuclear submarines, for land launches, Solomonov said. He refused to elaborate. Adapting the Bulava for land launches is a logical and feasible strategy, said Vasily Lata, a retired lieutenant general and defense analyst at the PIR Center, a security think tank.

"It could be put into reality in two to three years, given adequate financial support from the state," Lata said. The design of the Topol-M and Bulava should remain superior to all ballistic missiles operated by foreign countries for the next 15 to 20 years, and they will form the core of the Russian nuclear forces for the next 35 years, Solomonov said. "Russians can sleep peacefully through 2040," he assured reporters. He said the two missiles were second to none in surviving a nuclear strike or an attempt to destroy them by laser beams. They also can easily penetrate any missile shield, including the fledgling U.S. national missile defense system, Solomonov said. Bulava and Topol-M drop their engines much faster than their U.S. analogs, making them hard to detect early, he said, adding that this and other features would allow the re-entry vehicles to pierce any missile shield "with a probability of one."

Solomonov said that the first land-based mobile regiment of Topol-Ms would be commissioned this year. So far, about 300 Topol-Ms and the less-advanced Topol missile systems are deployed in land-based silos. The first 12 Bulava systems will be commissioned in 2008 on the Yury Dolgoruky nuclear submarine that is now being built in Severodvinsk, he said. Two Bulavas have been test-launched, and at least eight more will be fired before the missile can be commissioned, he said. Russia's strategic nuclear forces will replace their last Soviet-era weapons with Topol-Ms and Bulavas by 2015, and the two missiles will be commissioned through 2020, Solomonov said.

Link: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/storie...04/14/012.html
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Postby Armenian on Sat Mar 03, 2007 4:47 am

RA Defense Minister: Armenian-Russian Military Relations Should Constantly Develop

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The level of the Armenian-Russian military cooperation is very high and covers a wide scope of issues, Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan stated in an interview with “Krasnaya Zvezda” Russian newspaper. “We should not stop at the achievement we have made. On the contrary, we should constantly develop these relations. We possess the appropriate legal and historical base and wish. I hosted my Russian counterpart Sergey Ivanov in January and we discussed the prospects of the Armenian-Russian relations,” he remarked. “I would like to say that Armenia by no means develops the relations with NATO at the expense of the Armenian-Russian cooperation that expands in all directions.

But we understand we should be familiarized with the experience of other states,” the RA Defense Minister stated. In his words, special place in the Armenian-Russian relations is given to 102nd Russian military base that was located by proposal of the Armenian party. “Do you remember early 1990-ies when military units were seized in the post soviet republics or Russia itself conveyed the property of the bases to them. At that time by our suggestion half of the property was conveyed the Armenian party, on the rest 50% a military base was formed. If Armenia took the decision it was important for it,” Serge Sargsyan said.

News Source: http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=17496
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Postby Armenian on Sat Mar 03, 2007 4:48 am

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Russian bombers flew undetected across Arctic - AF commander

MOSCOW, April 22 (RIA Novosti) - Russian military planes flew undetected through the U.S. zone of the Arctic Ocean to Canada during recent military exercises, a senior Air Force commander said Saturday. The commander of the country's long-range strategic bombers, Lieutenant General Igor Khvorov, said the U.S. Air Force is now investigating why its military was unable to detect the Russian bombers.

"They were unable to detect the planes either with radars or visually," he said. Khorov said that during the military exercises in April, Tu-160 Blackjack bombers and Tu-95 Bears had successfully carried out four missile launches. Bombing exercises were held using Tu-22 Blinders. By the end of the year, two more Tu-160s will be commissioned for the long-range strategic bomber fleet, Khorov said. Both new planes will incorporate numerous upgrades from the initial Soviet models, the commander said. The bombers will be able to launch both cruise missiles and aviation bombs, and communicate via satellite.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060422/46792049.html
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Postby Armenian on Sat Mar 03, 2007 4:54 am

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Russia tests missile

Moscow, April 23 (AP): Russia test-launched a missile today and a military commander said US missile-defence plans could threaten the strategic balance between the former Cold War foes, Russian news agencies reported. Russia's Strategic Rocket Forces, which are responsible for the country's ballistic missiles, successfully launched the K65M-R missile from a testing ground at Kapustin Yar in the southern Astrakhan region, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. The commander of the forces, Col.-Gen. Nikolai Solovtsov, said the main purpose of the launch was to test "a uniform warhead for land- and sea-based ballistic missiles" and newly developed elements of a system designed to penetrate missile defenses, Interfax reported.

Solovtsov said plans for a US missile-defence system "could upset strategic stability", the agency reported, suggesting that the test was part of an effort to ensure that Russian missiles are capable of foiling any US shield. He said the test involved optic and radar measurement systems that reproduce similar US systems, according to Interfax. President Vladimir Putin has boasted that Russia has missiles capable of penetrating any missile defence system, specifying that they can change their flight path on approach to a target. Solovtsov said the system being tested today would make missiles more difficult to spot and their trajectories more difficult to predict.

News Source: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus...0604231024.htm
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Postby Armenian on Sat Mar 03, 2007 4:57 am

In Moscow, buzz over arms race II

An article in premier US foreign policy magazine has Russians worried about nuclear threat.

By Fred Weir | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

MOSCOW - The cold-war paradigm of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) between the US and Russia never really went away, and experts warn of a replay of the old superpower arms race.

"There are many nuclear-armed countries in the world, but only Russia and the US have this MAD relationship, in which each sees it as necessary to maintain the means to deter the other," says Dmitri Suslov, an analyst with the independent Council on Foreign and Defense Policy in Moscow. "We need to get away from that, to find a new basis of stability, but I'm afraid we're not going in that direction right now."

An article in the current issue of US journal "Foreign Affairs" rang alarm bells in Moscow this month. "The Rise of US Nuclear Primacy" argues that the deterioration of Russia's nuclear arsenal, coupled with recent US technology breakthroughs, means Russia can no longer count on deterring the US with its nuclear capabilities.

The authors, American professors Kier Lieber and Daryl Press, say Russia's fraying radar and satellite systems "would give Russian leaders at most a few minutes of warning before American weapons destroyed Russia's retaliatory forces." By contrast, they say, the US is actively modernizing its nuclear arsenal with stealthy and highly accurate new weaponry. "Unless they reverse course rapidly, Russia's vulnerability will only increase over time," the authors say. While Russian experts concede there's truth in the article, the reaction to it in Russian security circles was "very nervous," says Mr. Suslov.

"Many people think it's not a coincidence, that such an article was 'ordered' by someone," he explains. "At the very least, this article has postponed any chance of talking about removing the MAD framework from our relations with the US."

President Vladimir Putin issued a statement following the article's publication last month, insisting that Russia will increase its weapons spending and do whatever necessary to keep its strategic edge. "Maintaining the minimum level of nuclear armaments required for nuclear deterrence remains a top priority," he said. But Vitaly Shlykov, a strategic analyst formerly with the Soviet military intelligence agency GRU, says the Foreign Affairs article was "a major blow to Putin's prestige. It made him look vulnerable to charges ... that he doesn't pay enough attention to Russia's defense. Now he will pull out all the stops and spend whatever necessary to modernize Russia's nuclear deterrent."

At a press conference last week Alexei Arbatov, a senior arms control expert with the Carnegie Center in Moscow, said that Russia today has 39 percent fewer strategic bombers, 58 percent fewer intercontinental ballistic missiles, and 80 percent fewer nuclear missile submarines than the former Soviet Union had in 1991. Mr. Arbatov said Russia should step up its production of the newest Topol-M missiles from the current rate of eight per year to about 30 annually. "I'm not calling for an arms race, but for modernization [of Russia's strategic nuclear forces]," Arbatov said.

Yuri Solomonov, Russia's top missile designer, said last week that Moscow will "notify Washington within two months" of key changes in Russia's strategic forces, which could include stepped-up missile production and new types of weapons. Russian experts say that President Bush's 2001 decision to withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty made Moscow determined to deploy a new generation of nuclear missiles that could penetrate any possible US defense shield. Those weapons are now coming online, they say, with the first regiment of mobile Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missiles, which feature warheads that can evade interceptors, due to become operational this year. By 2008, Russia will begin stationing its new Bulava missiles, each carrying six independently-targeted warheads, on a new fleet of nuclear submarines.

"Russia is no longer capable of competing on the same level as the US, but you do not need to copy the same technologies or have the same number of missiles to respond," says Danil Kobyakov, an analyst with the independent PIR Center in Moscow, which specializes in nuclear issues. "Russia can retain its basic ability to destroy the US in retaliation for an attack; that's the logic of MAD."

Former Russian Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar, who now heads a prominent liberal institute in Moscow, has warned that the perception of Russian (and Chinese) vulnerability projected by the Foreign Affairs report might even prompt a revival of cold war-style military blocs. "If someone had wanted to provoke Russia and China into close cooperation over missile and nuclear technologies, it would be difficult to find a more skilful and elegant way of doing so," Mr. Gaidar wrote in a letter to the Financial Times this month. The old arms race was eventually reined in by a net of arms control treaties between the superpowers. Though most of those treaties are now redundant, a 2002 agreement between Putin and Bush committed to reduce their strategic arsenals to 2,200 warheads each by 2012, but placed no limits on technological innovations. Currently, Russia has 3,800 strategic warheads and the US 4,530.

Some Russian experts say the shadow of MAD can be banished only through fresh US-Russia talks that would lower nuclear stockpiles to fewer than 1,000 strategic nuclear weapons apiece. "We can only eliminate MAD if we eliminate those weapons," says Mr. Kobyakov. "Even if you have good relations and good intentions, as long as you have those potentially devastating nuclear forces, there will always be fear and suspicion of the other side."

Link: http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0424/p07s02-woeu.html
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Postby Armenian on Sat Mar 03, 2007 4:59 am

Aleksander Solzhenitsyn, nobel laureate accuses US, NATO of encircling Russia

Moscow, April 28 (AP): Nobel laureate and former Soviet dissident, Aleksander Solzhenitsyn, in a newspaper interview accused the United States and NATO of seeking to encircle Russia, and praised President Vladimir Putin for working to restore a strong state. In a rare interview, the reclusive 87-year-old author, who rose to prominence for his accounts of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's repression and labour camps, told the liberal weekly 'Moscow News' that NATO's ultimate aim was the loss of Russia's sovereignty, according to a full text of the interview posted on its web site edition on Thursday.

"Though it is clear that present-day Russia poses no threat to it, NATO is methodically and persistently building up its military machine - into the east of Europe and surrounding Russia from the south," Solzhenitsyn was quoted as saying.

"This involves open material and ideological support for 'colour revolutions' and the paraxodical forcing of North Atlantic interests on Central Asia," he reportedly said, adding that there was "little substantial difference" between the actions of the US and NATO.

"All this leaves no doubt that they are preparing to completally encircle Russia and deprive it of its sovereignty," Solzhenitsyn was quoted as saying. Russia was furious at what it saw as Western encroachment on its home turf after a series of peaceful revolutions brought opposition leades to power in the former Soviet republics Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan.

Link: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus...0604280921.htm
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Postby Armenian on Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:00 am

“The US is concerned over Russia’s growing presence in the South Caucasus”:

The country that tries to solve the Karabakh problem by force will be expelled from the Council of Europe, Azeri Press reports PACE President Rene van der Linden as saying. Van der Linden does not consider the CE membership possible for the country that would use armed force to resolve the conflict, if a new war breaks out in Nagorno Karabakh. In this case PACE will have to discuss the possibility of that country’s further membership in the CE. Van der Linden urges the parties to the Karabakh conflict to stop their bellicose statements and to realize that the conflict can be resolved only by peaceful measures. Van der Linden also says that if Azerbaijan holds non-democratic elections, the mandate of its PACE delegation will be reviewed.

In his turn, head of the public and political department of the Azeri president staff Ali Gasanov says: “If they in the Council of Europe want to freeze the powers of our delegation, let them do that. But nobody has the right to threaten us.” “Azerbaijan is an independent state and has its own state interests. And nobody, including PACE President Rene van der Linden, has the right to threaten us,” says Gasanov. (Echo)

The two radar stations built in Azerbaijan with the US’ support are intended for strengthening the frontier control, Trend reports Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov as saying in Washington. He says that “those stations are part of our program to protect Azerbaijan’s state frontier.” Mamedyarov explains that the problem of frontier control arose after the collapse of the Soviet Union. “Now we are an independent state and must do it by ourselves, particularly, protect our sector of the Caspian Sea. And here we certainly cooperate with the US.” Mamedyarov confirms that in the framework of this cooperation Washington provides Baku with special equipment.

“All this equipment will go into Azerbaijan’s property.” He notes that the project to build radar stations has no direct relation to the security of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and the energy projects in the republic. “We do cooperate to ensure the security of the BTC, we have several programs. But they are parts of the general measures to fight terrorism and to protect oil platforms, as most of our oil comes from the sea. We are interested in the US’ experience, and the Americans share it with us,” says Mamedyarov. He says that the Azeri-US military cooperation is “quite good in principle.” “The US helps us to reform our army so that we can face the present risks and challenges in the region.” “In this context our cooperation is quite active,” says Mamedyarov.

The US is concerned over Russia’s growing presence in the South Caucasus, US congressman, chairman of the sub-committee on foreign assignments Jim Kolbe said at a news conference in Baku on April 13. One of the first questions was about Section 907 (Adopted in Oct 1992 and cancelled by the Senate in 2001, Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act forbade the US government to provide direct assistance to Azerbaijan because of that country’s blockading Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh — REGNUM).

[...]

Regnum: http://www.regnum.ru/english/cultura/625801.html
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Postby Armenian on Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:02 am

ZATULIN: RUSSIA IS NOT INTERESTED IN SOMEBODY TRAINING IN SOUTH CAUCASUS LIKE IN IRAQ

Among South Caucasian countries only Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh are
interest in maintaining the status quo in the region, Member of the
Russian State Duma, Head of the CIS Countries' Institute Konstantin
Zatulin has declared at the international conference called "Caucasus
without Conflicts and Terrorism. Dialog of Civilizations at Caucasian
Crossroad."

According to him, Azerbaijan is not interested in maintaining the
current situation, as its interests concerning its territorial
integrity are infringed. "Today, elites of nations criticize the
Soviet rule, but they take from the past what is profitable for them,
in particular, Georgia and Azerbaijan like the borders they had under
the Soviets," the MP noted. According to Zatulin, Georgia is not
interested in maintaining the status quo either: "it is interested in
soonest settlement of Abkhazian and Ossetian conflicts in its favor."

According to Zatulin, Armenia has no internal problems that could bring
about collapse of the country, which cannot be said about Georgia and
Azerbaijan. "In Georgia, apart from Ossetian and Abkhazian conflicts,
there is a problem of Samtskhe-Javakheti (Armenian-populated region
in Georgia - REGNUM), there is a problem in Marneuli District, where
Azerbaijani population lives, there is a problem with Megrels and
Adjarians. And in Azerbaijan, apart from Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
there is a problem with Talysh and Lezgin population," noted the
Russian MP.

"Distance from Russia to Caucasus is less than from the USA, and Russia
is most of all interested in maintaining peace, even with unrecognized
republics. Our priority is peace in the region," Konstantin Zatulin
noted adding that Russia is not interested in somebody training in
South Caucasus like in Iraq.

Regnum, Russia May 17 2006 http://www.regnum.ru/english/641377.html
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Postby Armenian on Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:04 am

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Russia may relocate Black Sea Fleet to Syrian port - paper

MOSCOW, June 2 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has started dredging at a Syrian port where it maintains a logistical supply point with a possible eye to turning it into a full-fledged naval base, a respected Russian business daily said Friday.

Tartus, the second most important Syrian port on the Mediterranean, could be transformed into a base for Black Sea Fleet warships when they are redeployed from the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol, Kommersant daily said, quoting sources in Russia's diplomatic service and the Defense Ministry. Vladimir Zimin, a senior economic advisor at the Russian Embassy to Syria, said Russia had simultaneously launched a modernization project at the port of Latakia, 90 km to the north of Tartus.

The paper quoted an anonymous source at the Defense Ministry as saying that Moscow was planning to form a squadron led by the Moskva missile cruiser within the next three years to operate in the Mediterranean Sea on a permanent basis, in particular for joint antiterrorist exercises with NATO forces.

Russia's Black Sea Fleet currently uses a range of naval facilities in the Crimea under a 1997 agreement that allowed Russia to continue its presence in its neighboring former Soviet republic for rent of $93 million per year. The fleet is scheduled to withdraw in 2017, but Ukraine has recently voiced concerns that Russia is not paying enough for the facilities and also demanded that a new agreement be signed on inventorizing the bases. Russia has said it will make no concessions over rent or withdrawing the fleet and talks have stalled.

The Defense Ministry source told Kommersant that a Russian naval base in the Mediterranean would not only help Moscow strengthen its position in the Middle East - where it is currently also involved in negotiations on the Iranian nuclear crisis and the Israel/Palestinian issue - but also ensure Syria's security. Moscow plans to deploy an S-300PMU-2 Favorit air-defense system to protect the base, the paper said, adding that the system will be operated by Russian servicemen and not be handed over to Syria.

At the same time, sources close to the matter said Moscow and Damascus had reached an agreement to modernize Syria's antiaircraft system using medium-range S-125 missile complexes that were deployed in the 1980s.

Link: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060602/48956476.html

Putin Stresses Importance of Ties with Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed on Tuesday that his country gives great care to develop the Syrian-Russian dialogue regarding the regional and international urgent issues. " Russia has strong relations with Syria which is considered the most important country in the Arab world, and will establish an active cooperation with her in the field of confronting the international terrorism ." Putin said during receiving credentials of the Syrian Ambassador to the Russian Federation Dr. Hassan Risha .

He added that " all this contribute to developing the cooperation in all fields according to the agreements reached during President Bashar al-Assad’s visit to Moscow." Russian President underlined that the current crisis in Lebanon has produced massive human consequences emphasizing the urgent necessity to increase the effectiveness of the United Nations Organization regarding the international issues . For his part . Dr. Risha conveyed President Asaad's regards , asserting the great importance Syria cares for her relations with Russia.

Thawra- Sawsan: http://www.sana.org/eng/21/2006/07/25/51125.htm
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Postby Armenian on Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:06 am

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Russia rebuffs U.S. call to rethink $1bln Venezuela arms deal

RYAZAN REGION, July 26 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's defense minister ruled out Wednesday reconsidering a $1 billion contracts on supplies of military planes and helicopters to Venezuela. Tom Casey, a deputy spokesman for the U.S. State Department, said Tuesday that President George Bush's administration wanted Russia to review the deals. He said the weapons purchases Venezuela planned exceeded the country's demands and did not contribute to regional stability.

But Sergei Ivanov, who is also a deputy prime minister of Russia, said, "Reviewing the contract is absolutely out of the question. In my opinion, the 24 planes and the number of helicopters recorded in the contract are not excessive for the defense of a small country such as Venezuela." "We will honor the contract," Ivanov said, adding that Venezuela had no restrictions on arms supplies. The South American country's outspoken president, Hugo Chavez, is touring defense-industry plants as part of a three-day visit to Russia.

The Foreign Ministry's official spokesman also said Wednesday Russian arms deliveries to Venezuela fully corresponded to the norms of international and Russian law. Russia has supplied Venezuela with Kalashnikov assault rifles in addition to the billion-dollar combat aircraft deal. Mikhail Kamynin said, "Military-technical cooperation with Venezuela, as well as with other countries, is carried out by Russia in full accordance with the norms of international law as well as Russian legislation."

Link: http://en.rian.ru/world/20060726/51864682.html

Russia plans to expand presence on Venezuelan arms market

MOSCOW, June 13 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is planning to increase sales of military hardware in Venezuela by offering the Latin American country a wide variety of advanced weaponry, the state-controlled arms exporter said Tuesday. Rosoboronexport said it would focus on modern aircraft, including Su-27SK Flanker and Su-30MK fighters and the Mi-28N Night Hunter attack helicopter, as well as small arms, at the Expo Ejercito 2006 arms show on June 13-18 in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said earlier this year that his country could purchase Sukhoi aircraft from Russia to replace its contingent of U.S. F-16 multi-role fighters after Washington imposed an embargo arms sales to the country.

Military-technical cooperation between Moscow and Caracas has been on the rise since Rosoboronexport and the Venezuelan government signed contracts on arms supplies in 2005. Russia delivered three out of 15 Mi-17 V5 Hip-H multipurpose helicopters to Venezuela in March 2006 and supplied the country with the first 30,000 of 100,000 AK-103 assault rifles under a $54 million contract in early June. "The talks during the exhibition will lead to contracts on procuring Russian-made weaponry and military equipment and their integration into systems of national and collective security in the region," Rosoboronexport said. The Russian arms export monopolist will also present at the show high-tech civilian equipment developed under conversion programs at defense-industry enterprises.

Link: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060613/49402868.html
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Postby Armenian on Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:09 am

Russia and Central Asian Allies Conduct War Games in Response to US Threats

Barely acknowledged by the Western media, military exercises organized by Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan under the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, (CSTO) were launched on the 24th of August. These war games, officially tagged as part of a counter terrorism program, are in direct response to US military threats in the region including the planned attacks against Iran.

The Rubezh-2006 exercise, is scheduled to take place from August 24-29 near the Kazak port city of Aktau:

"It will be the first joint military exercise undertaken by CSTO countries, and will involve 2,500 members drawn from various armed services of member states, with Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan the principal participants. Uzbekistan, which has recently rejoined the CSTO, will send observers, while the two other pact members, Belarus and Armenia, will not be taking part .( IPWR News Briefing Central Asia)

Press reports from the region describe these war games as a response to US military presence and ambitions in Central Asia:

"The growing militarisation is connected with mutual mistrust among countries in the region, say analysts. Iranian media have speculated that the United States is using Azerbaijan to create a military counterweight to Iran on the Caspian. It is possible that the exercise conducted by the CSTO – in which Russia is dominant – represents a response to concerns about United States involvement in developing Kazakstan’s navy. Observers say Russia is leaning more and more towards the Iranian view that countries from outside should be banned from having armed forces in the Caspian Sea."

Experts say the US is trying to step up the pressure on Iran, as well as to defend its own investments in Azerbaijan and Kazakstan. It is also trying to guarantee the security of the strategically vital Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline.

A military presence on the Caspian would give the United States an opportunity to at least partially offset its weakening influence in Central Asia, as seen in the closure of its airbase in Uzbekistan, the increased rent it is having to pay for the Manas base in Kyrgyzstan, and the diplomatic scandal that resulted in the expulsion of two Americans from Kyrgyzstan. According to analysts, genuine security in the region can be achieved only if the military interests of all five Caspian countries are coordinated. At an international conference in Astrakhan in July 2005, Russia proposed the formation of a Caspian naval coordination group, but to date the initiative has not had much of a response.(Ibid)

Iran War Games coincide with those organized by the CSTO

The entire region seems to be on a war footing. These CSTO war games should be seen in relation to those launched barely a week earlier by Iran, in response to continued US military threats. These war games coincide with the showdown at the UN Security Council and the negotiations between permanent members regarding a Security Council resolution pertaining to Iran's nuclear program. "They are taking place within the window of time that has been predicted by analysts for the initiation of an American or an American-led attack against Iran" (see Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya, Global Research, 21 August 2006):

"War games and military exercises are now well underway within Iran and its territory."

The Iranian Armed Forces—the Regular Armed Forces and the Revolutionary Guards Corps—began the first stage of massive nationwide war games along border areas of the province of Sistan and Baluchistan1 in the southeast of Iran bordering the Gulf of Oman, Pakistan, and NATO garrisoned Afghanistan to the east on Saturday, August 19, 2006. These war games that are underway are to unfold and intensify over a five week period and possibly even last longer, meaning they will continue till the end of September and possibly overlap into October, 2006". (Ibid, emphasis added)

While Iran is not a member of the CSTO, it has observer status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), of which China is a member. The SCO has a close relationship to the CSTO. The structure of military alliances is crucial. In case of an attack on Iran, Russia and its CSTO allies will not remain neutral. In April, Iran was invited to become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Sofar no concrete timetable for Iran's accession to the SCO has been set. This enlargement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which also includes observer status for India, Pakistan and Mongolia counters US military and strategic objectives in the broader region. Moreover, China and Russia, which are partners in the SCO also have a longstanding bilateral military cooperation agreement. In August 2005, China and Russia conducted joint militart exercises. The conduct of the CSTO war games must be seen as a signal to Washington that an attack on Iran could lead to a much broader military conflict in which Russia and the member states of the CSTO could potentially be involved, siding with Iran and Syria.

Also of significance is the structure of bilateral military cooperation agreements. Russia and China are the main suppliers of advanced weapons systems of Iran and Syria. Russia is contemplating the installation of a Navy base in Syria on the eastern Mediterranean coastline. In turn, the US and Israel have military cooperation agreements with Azerbaijan and Georgia.

China War Games

In recent developments, China and Kazakhstan have initiated war games (August 24, 2006) under the auspices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). These war games are being held concurrently with those conducted under the CSTO, which are also being held in Kazakhstan.

India-Russia military Cooperation

India and Russia have signed on August 20th, a farreaching military cooperation agreement. Although not officially directed against the US, the purpose of this agreement is understood. The two countries have "agreed to focus on joint war games in services-to-services interaction, joint development of new weapons systems and training of Indian military personnel", (Press Trust of India, 21 August 2006).

Link: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.p...ticleId=3056
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Postby Armenian on Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:11 am

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Russia Launches Massive Air Force Exercise

The Russian military on Tuesday launched a massive exercise that will involve dozens of long-range bombers test-firing cruise missiles, the Associated Press news agency reported quoting the nation’s air force chief. The maneuvers will involve over 50 Tu-160, Tu-95 and Tu-22M aircraft flying missions over the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and the Black and Caspian Seas, Gen. Vladimir Mikhailov said, according to the Interfax and ITAR-Tass news agencies. He said it will be the largest exercise involving Russian long-range bombers in years, the agencies reported. A flow of petrodollars has allowed the Russian government to steadily increase military budget in recent years, a sharp contrast with dire funding shortages after the 1991 Soviet collapse. Russian military exercises have grown in scope and become more regular.

Link: http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/09/27/airforce.shtml
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Postby Armenian on Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:12 am

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Jane's: Russian intelligence indirectly helped Hezbollah

During military operation of Israel in the South Lebanon which proceeded from July 12 till August 14 this year, Hezbollah received intelligence data from the radio interception points that are served by the joint Russian-Syrian personnel, Israeli daily Ha’aretz writes, referring to a report by the Jane's Defense Weekly. According to the magazine, participation of the Russian side in transfer of the intelligence information to Hezbollah was indirect. The data received by secret services of Russia, first were transferred to Syria, as there is an agreement signed between Moscow and Damascus on cooperation of intelligences services and exchange of mutually interesting information.

Besides it is marked that the Lebanese insurgents received the information on the Israeli troops from the surveillance centre, located in the Syrian part of the Golan heights and jointly supervised by the Syrian intelligence and Iranian experts. Unlike secret services of Russia with which the Syrian side does cooperate for a long time, arrangement with Iran has been reached only in the past year, adds Ha’aretz. Detailed information on the Russian secret services' ties with the Hezbollah was first published by AIA already in May 2005. Besides that, in Luly 2006, AIA prepared a broad analysis on the Russian-Syrian strategic cooperation, in the context of the Lebanon crisis.

Source: http://www.axisglobe.com/article.asp?article=1083
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Postby Armenian on Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:14 am

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Moscow Arms Assad with a Top-Flight Surface Missile

Two generals were in Moscow on the same day, September 26: the head of Israel’s National Security Council Maj.-Gen (Res.) Giora Eiland and the Syrian chief of staff General Ali Habib. Both also called on the Russian chief of staff, Gen. Yuri Baluyevski. The Syrian general came out of his meeting with a brilliant contract for the sale of the advanced Iskander SS-26 surface missile. The Israeli general ran into a blank wall when he tried to persuade the Russian to withhold the missile from the Assad regime. Last January, when the deal was first broached, the Bush administration stepped in and obtained a promise from president Vladimir Putin to call off the sale, as did Israel’s Ariel Sharon during the Russian president’s visit in May.

Putin has broken those pledges, DEBKA-Net-Weekly 224 revealed in its detailed report on September 30. For a speedy delivery in the first quarter of 2006, the Syrians paid cash. The value of the transaction is unknown but it certainly runs into hundreds of million dollars, given that Syria has purchased 26 of the most advanced missile of its kind in use anywhere in the world. The United States and NATO have code-named the Iskander SS-26 “Stone.” They have nothing in their missile arsenal to match its unique attributes.

With a 400-km range and a 480-kilo warhead composed of 54 elements, the missile hits a target within a 20-meter radius. Two missiles with a range of 280km are mounted on each launch pad. The system can be used against small and large targets alike, easily overcoming air defenses. It is almost impossible for existing electronic weapons systems to prevent the Iskander’s launch because of its speed and high flexibility. Its targets are found in mid-flight by satellites, accompanying airplanes, conventional intelligence centers or a lone soldier directing artillery fire. Targets may also be found by feeding photos into the missile’s computer by means of a scanner.

The self-direction device functions even in fog, darkness or storms. The name Iskander is Alexander (the Great) in the Turkoman language. Weighing 3,800 kilos it is operated by a crew of three. It comes in two versions: the 500-kilo version provided the Russian Army and the 280-kilo missile sold to Syria. So impressive is the Russian “Stone”, that in 2004, the Americans sought to include it in various treaties signed with Russia for precluding the manufacture and sale of certain weapons. Moscow balked. A Western missile expert says: “Even a small quantity of these missiles is capable of radically changing the balance of strength in local conflicts.” It is a strategic weapon for countries with a small area like Syria.

Nine months ago, on January 12, 2005, Moscow “leaked” the news of a big new arms deal with Syria that included the following missiles: the Iskander SS-26, SA-10 Grumble ground-to-air, and SA-18 Grouse (Igla 9K38) shoulder-launched anti-air missiles capable of hitting objects at an altitude of 3,600 meters and range of 5,200 meters. Israeli raised the ceiling over this transaction as radically shifting the balance of strength between the xxxish state and Syria. Washington embarked on a quiet diplomatic dialogue to deter Damascus from acquiring the new hardware, maintaining it posed a threat to the US army in Iraq.

After weeks of palaver and pressure, president Vladimir Putin and defense minister Sergei Ivanov relented and promised Washington and Jerusalem to withhold the Iskander SS-26 from Syria. The other items would have their aggressive options “neutered” and rendered fit for defensive use alone. It is now clear that Putin’s promise to the Americans and Israelis to withhold the missile’s sale was no more than a time-winning ploy until an opportunity presented itself to go through with the transaction.

DEBKAfile’s military experts add four points:

1. Assad had need of a sop to his armed forces if he intends to go through with the exercise DEBKA revealed earlier, to follow in Muammar Qaddafi’s footsteps and make his peace with Washington. The Syrian ruler will demonstrated that he is the only Middle East leader capable of providing his army with a weapons system as sophisticated Iskander SS-22. This may divert the generals from plotting to overthrow him if he throws some of his top security officers to the wolves over the Hariri assassination.

2. Putin’s motivation in breaking his promises to Bush and Sharon is his fundamental urge to show Washington and Paris they are not the only players in the Middle East and Syrian-Lebanese arena. He hopes by the missile sale to prevent the Assad regime from collapsing.

3. The Bush administration refrained from interceding in the deal this because, as DEBKA revealed before, the White House has not yet decided finally whether to finally topple Assad or let him survive. Washington’s silence on the missile sale points to the latter option.

4. Israel’s failure to stop the delivery even after the kudos Sharon collected over the pullout from Gaza means that the country’s basic security situation and international influence remain unchanged by the sacrifice of its strategic presence in Gaza.

Source: http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=1095
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