Vagharshak Haroutiunyan: Supply of Russian Iskander missile systems to Armenia speaks of Armenian- Russian allied relations

ArmInfo. Everything Armenia wanted to make known to Azerbaijan it has made known it during the military parade. Baku's response to it was the best evidence of that, says Vagharshak Haroutiunyan, the former minister of defense of Armenia told a news conference, on September 23. 

In his words, the Independence Day military parade in Armenia was unprecedented considering the advanced weapons showcased during it.  "This is a strategic step with political subtext that pursued to restrain Azerbaijan. At present, Armenia has the strongest air defense in the region due to such weapons as Buk-M2medium-range surface-to-air missile systems, radio-electronic warfare and Infauna new multifunctional complex of signals intelligence and radio- electronic warfare," the former defense minister said.

According to him, with the given types of warfare, possible military actions will attain a new quality, while Infauna is very efficient against drones widely used by Azerbaijan during the April hostilities.  

As for the Iskander short-range ballistic missile system, Haroutiunyan said the given weapons were supplied to Armenia thanks to the right foreign policy of the country's leadership.

"Supply of the Russian Iskander missile systems to Armenia speaks about the Armenian-Russian allied relations.  Nuclear warheads can be used on SCAD and Iskander missile systems, and Moscow would never sold such strategic weapons to 'unfriendly' country," the former defense minister said.  In response to the remarks of journalists that Russia could sell Azerbaijan weapons capable to repel Iskander's attacks, Vagharshak Haroutiunyan said only Russian S-400 missile systems or American Patriot missile system can repel such attacks, but Baku has neither of them and will not have any in the near future.  Meantime, Armenia can destroy any target in the territory of Azerbaijan.

Furthermore, he said, Russia is not interested in a flare up in the region, as it may lose its positions.  Haroutiunyan believes that the weapons demonstrated during the military parade will held settling the Karabakh conflict and preventing large-scale military actions in the region. "Only part of the weapons on the balance of our army was showcased during the parade because of a range of factors, including the state and military secrecy," the expert said.

In response to the question why Armenia is creating a United Regional Air Defense in the Caucasus region having powerful Air Defense, Haroutiunyan said Russia has been assisting Armenia in building its Air Defense system since 1992. But for Russia, Armenia's Air Defense system would be at the level of the one in Georgia.

The military parade dedicated to the 25th Independence Anniversary of Armenia and the advanced weapons showcased during it have raised hysteria in Azerbaijan.

According to Azerbaijani media, Azerbaijani President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev, charged the Defense Ministry leadership to meet on September 21.  "Analyzing the military-political situation in the region, ministry officials paid special attention to strengthening all types of intelligence to identify new targets on the territory controlled by the enemy, assessing their significance and determining the sequence of their destruction, and strengthening mutual coordination between the Land Forces, Air Force, Rocket and artillery troops, Special Forces, and other types of troops," the Defense Ministry reported.  "Taking into account the potential danger of any military threat to Azerbaijan, Defense Minister, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov instructed the country's Armed Forces to strengthen control over all the military and strategic facilities in the enemy- controlled territories and be prepared to immediately destroy these targets if necessary. Minister Hasanov emphasized that the missile-artillery systems at the disposal of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces allow the army to execute these tasks with high accuracy."

The independence military parade in Yerevan featured military hardware that included Iskander short-range ballistic missile systems, Buk and other modernized surface-to-air missile systems, Smerch heavy multiple rocket launchers, as well as drones and Mi-29 and Su-25 planes, Soviet-era Scud-B and Tochka-U systems, Infauna electronic warfare vehicles, S-300 missile systems, WM-80, MRLS, columns of tanks mounted on heavy military trucks, armored vehicles and others.