Incident

Incident

Azerbaijanâ€™s Defense Ministry researches reports about Ukraineâ€™s secret arms sale to Armenia

14 August 2012 10:37 (UTC +04:00)

Sabiroglu said that the Defense Ministy received such information: â€œCorresponding researches are carried out in this directionâ€.

The report says that the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Major-General Sergei Gmyza sent a letter to President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych explaining the ways of arms supplies to Armenia under a contract between Ukrspetsexport and DG Arms Corporation (the mediator of Armenian Defense Ministry).

The letter offers to use front companies registered in EU and CIS for supplies. According to the letter, Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry received information about the contract between the Ukrspetsexport and DG Arms Corporation (the mediator of Armenian Defense Ministry) to supply 12 units of Smerch multiple rocket launching systems and their components, 50 Igla MANPADS, as well as the fact that Armenia has already paid 50 percent of contract value.

Gmyza said that not wanting to jeopardize the military-technical and energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and Ukraine, Ukrspetsexport is invited to "publicly renounce the fact of an agreement with the Armenian side." At the same time the Armenian company is offered to simulate the appeal to arbitration, "the spread among its environment of sharply negative attitude to the leadership of Ukrspetsexport and the Ukrainian side, as an unreliable supplier."

At the same time head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry proposed to carry out the delivery of Smerch sets in a conspiracy from the territory of Moldova, "using front companies registered in the EU or the CIS."

Marking on the products this should be changed, and in the case of disclosure of fraud to conceal origin of Igla MANPADS by warehouses in Libya, looted by rebels of the liberation movement.

Deputy Director of the Press and Public Relations Department of the Ukraineâ€™s Defense Ministry Valery Korol refused to comment the issue to APA.

Ukrainian embassy in Azerbaijan has already issued statement on reports about this countryâ€™s secret arms sale to Armenia in 2011.

The statement says that the copy of letter from Ukrainian Defense Ministry to Ukrainian president that was placed on August 8, 2012 on a Ukrainian website is false.

The embassy considers that this provocation aims to damage Ukraine-Azerbaijan friendly relations. â€œThe strategic character of these relations is unchangeable and a priority for Ukraineâ€.