The Armenian Defense Ministry and the French manufacturer of the howitzers signed the contract during talks held by the defense ministers of the two states in Paris on June 17. French Defense Minister Sebastien described it as a “new important milestone” in French-Armenian military ties. No details of the contract were officially made public.
France’s Le Figaro newspaper and defense news website Forces Operations Blog reported the following day that Armenia purchased 36 units of CAESAR and that they will be delivered within 15 months.
“Of course, the report by Le Figaro is based on information provided by the French Defense Ministry. We will certainly not deny it,” Armen Khachatrian, the deputy chairman of the Armenian parliament committee on defense and security told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
With a firing range of more than 40 kilometers, CAEASAR is one of the most advanced artillery systems of its kind in the world. France as well as Denmark have gifted Ukraine 49 such 155 millimeter truck-mounted systems since the 2022 Russian invasion of the country. Early this year, Kyiv bought another six French howitzers for between 3 million and 4 million euros ($3.3-$4.4 million) each.
Armenia - Parliamernt deputy Armen Khachatrian speaks to RFE/RL, June, 25, 2024.
“They have proven their effectiveness in various combat situations in many places around the world,” said Khachatrian. “France has sold that artillery system to very few countries … It is very important for us to have such systems to achieve our defense objectives.”
The pro-government lawmaker described their acquisition as “one component” of the ongoing “full modernization” of Armenia’s armed forces.
Paris pledged last fall to sell defensive weapons and provide other military assistance to Armenia part of a broader deepening of bilateral relations cemented by the existence of an influential Armenian community in France. The French weapons include sophisticated radars, short-range air-defense systems and armored personnel carriers.
Azerbaijan condemned the sale of the howitzers as “another proof of France’s provocative actions in the South Caucasus” that will create a new regional “hotbed of war.” The deal also prompted criticism from Russia, Armenia’s longtime and increasingly estranged ally. The Russian Foreign Ministry said it will fan tensions in the South Caucasus.
Khachatrian rejected the Russian criticism as “incomprehensible.” He argued that Moscow is currently not in a position to help Armenia “increase its defense capabilities.”
Russia had long been Armenia’s main supplier of weapons and ammunition. Tensions between the two nations have steadily grown since the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh, with Yerevan accusing Moscow of not honoring its security commitments.
The South Caucasus country has been looking for other arms suppliers also because of the continuing war in Ukraine which is absorbing the bulk of Russia’s military resources. Since September 2022, it has reportedly signed a series of defense contracts with India worth hundreds of millions of dollars.