Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and his political allies have repeatedly made such claims over the past year amid Armenia’s worsening relations with Russia. But they gave no details of those contracts. The Russian government has still not reacted to those claims.
Armenia’s Deputy Defense Minister Hrachya Sargsyan is the first official to reveal the amount of money which Yerevan claims to have paid Russia’s state-owned arms manufacturers. But he declined to specify the types of weaponry that are listed in those contracts.
Sargsian said the contracts remain valid and the Armenian side still hopes the Russians will fulfill their obligations. “I think that the issue will be solved through our partnership,” he told reporters.
Pashinian said on November 24 that the two sides are discussing the matter and he hopes they will reach an agreement. Russia itself “needs weapons” now, he said, clearly alluding to its continuing war with Ukraine.
In Pashinian’s words, one of the options under consideration is for Russia to write off part of Armenia’s debt to it in exchange for not delivering the weapons in question.
Russia has long been Armenia’s principal supplier of weapons and ammunition. But with no end in sight to the war in Ukraine and tensions between Moscow and Yerevan continuing to grow, the Armenian government is increasingly looking for other arms suppliers.
Since September 2022 it has reportedly signed a number of defense contracts with India worth at least $400 million. In October this year, it also signed two arms deals with France.
Pashinian and members of his political team say that this is part of their broader efforts to “diversify” Armenia’s defense and security policy. They regularly accuse Moscow of not honoring its security commitments to its South Caucasus ally.