Rogozin Arrives in Baku to Demand Payment for Tanks

On March 3 talks between the Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will be held in Baku. The main theme will be the settlement of military-technical cooperation between the two countries, which is experiencing difficulties in recent years. Due to the fall in energy prices Baku has become unable to pay for weapons on the previously concluded contracts. It is also possible that the Azeri negotiators will raise the issue of supply of Russian weapons to Armenia. It is reported in today's issue of the Moscow newspaper Kommersant.

According to the newspaper, Rogozin is visiting Baku with representatives of Rosoboronexport and the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC).

The trip was not planned previously: "There are some difficulties with export contracts to be addressed at a high level." As expected, Rogozin will first negotiate with the military, and then with President Ilham Aliyev.

It will regard payment of arms on the contracts signed several years ago. According to Kommersant’s sources, the problem is that after the fall in oil prices, Azerbaijan has problems with payment. "The equipment they ordered was manufactured and delivered, but it is still in the port of unloading, waiting for resolution of the whole situation," said the source of the newspaper.

In 2010-2014 Baku purchased two divisions of S-300PMU-2 systems, several complexes Tor 2ME, about a hundred combat and transport helicopters, not less than 100 T-90S tanks and 100 BMP-3, 18 guns MSTA-C and as many TOS-1A systems, as well as the Tornado rocket systems in Russia. The total cost of this package was estimated at $ 4 billion. The majority of these contracts have already been executed, but there are some items that need to be closed this year.

Moscow intends to discuss payment issues and to negotiate. In extreme cases, the unpaid products can be resold to other countries, the Kommersant said, citing the source. -02D-