No delay in rearmament program, Russia saysJuly 2, 2012 - 18:04 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia will not postpone the implementation of its ambitious rearmament program for three years, but may make some adjustments to curb the budget deficit, Economic Development Minister Andrei Belousov said on Monday, July 2. According to RIA Novosti, Russia's Vedomosti business daily earlier said the government is considering shifting the implementation of the 2013-2020 program to 2016-2023. “We are not discussing the postponement of the entire program for three years, as it is impossible,” Belousov told Russian lawmakers. He said that defense industry firms have already begun preparing for the implementation of the program by taking loans and purchasing equipment within the limits of the whopping 20-trillion ruble budget (over $680 bln). Belousov added that the timetable and the money allocation for some parts of the program could be tweaked in line with the priorities. The rearmament of the Russian Armed Forces, along with the high-tech innovation of the Russian industry, is a pet project of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who announced the ambitious plans to drastically modernize the army in 2010 while he was serving as president. The Russian military is expecting the share of modern weaponry in the Russian Armed Forces to reach 30% by 2015, and total 70% by 2020. The Russian Finance Ministry, however, has always been opposed to the idea, saying that exorbitant defense expenses would overburden the state budget and ultimately lead to deep deficits. Former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin lost his post last year after openly disagreeing with Medvedev on economic policies, especially on defense expenditures. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |