Iraq cancels $4.2bn arms deal with RussiaNovember 10, 2012 - 14:01 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Iraq has cancelled a $4.2bn deal to buy arms from Russia because of concerns about "corruption", an Iraqi government advisor has said, according to BBC. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has launched an investigation into the deal, his spokesman said. The purchase - said to include attack helicopters and missiles - was only signed off in October. Iraq has been rebuilding its armed forces since the end of U.S.-led combat operations against insurgents. Announcing the cancellation of the purchase on Saturday, Nov 10, a spokesman for Prime Minister Nouri Maliki told AFP news agency that "when Maliki returned from his trip to Russia, he had some suspicions of corruption, so he decided to review the whole deal". "There is an investigation going on, on this," he added. The sale would have made Moscow - the main supplier of arms to Iraq under Saddam Hussein - the country's second-biggest arms supplier after the U.S. There has been no word from Russia about the cancellations. In early October, Maliki said in a speech that he did not want Iraq to be "part of someone else's (arms) monopoly." But he faced criticism from political opponents who questioned buying from Russia, when multiple deals with the US had been signed. One Iraqi MP suggested that counterterrorism operations - the stated aim of the purchase - required improved intelligence, and not the 30 Mi-28 attack helicopters that were reported to be part of the deal. The contracts were announced to some fanfare on 9 October after talks between the two countries' prime ministers near Moscow. At the time the deal was agreed, analysts suggested that while it was clear Iraq wanted to diversify its weapons purchases, buying from Russia would only encourage the sense in Washington that the U.S. is somehow "losing Iraq". Maliki - who said he was seeking "quick contracts to fight terrorism" - warned even before he left that anything he signed might be scuttled by parliament. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. 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". Partner news | Putin congratulates Pashinyan’s birthday Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his birthday on June 1. Opposition motorcade en route to Gyumri for large rally A motorcade of protesters headed by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan is heading to the city of Gyumri. Ruling MPs, Foreign Minister talk Armenia-Azerbaijan processes MOs from the ruling Civil Contract party met with the Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in the Armenian parliament. Russia: Armenia’s frozen membership weakens CSTO position in Caucasus A Russian envoy said any step that could alienate the CSTO member states from each other is “deeply wrong”. |