Russia's arms exporter denies involvement in Greece bribe scandalJanuary 13, 2014 - 10:03 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia's state arms exporter denied Sunday, Jan 12, any involvement in a multi-million dollar corruption scandal in Greece related to arms sales that led to the arrest of a former top defense official, RIA Novosti reports. A spokesperson for Rosoboronexport said the Russian arms exporter and the companies that merged to form it have no relation to the deliveries of Kornet-E anti-tank missiles and Osa surface-to-air missile systems to Greece that were mentioned in media reports. The scandal came to light when Antonios Kantas, who was arrested and charged with graft last month, claimed that he received bribes from the representatives of arms manufacturers from Germany, Sweden and Russia to secure costly weapons deals in 1996-2002. Two local representatives of German arms firms named by Kantas were also arrested. The Greek Defense Ministry has pledged to overhaul arms procurement procedures to make them more transparent. Related links: 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 | Armenian delegation participating in NATO PA session The delegation is headed by Andranik Kocharyan, the chairman of the standing committee on defense and security matters. Schengen visa cost won’t change for Armenia – diplomat The increase in the cost of a Schengen visa will not apply to citizens of Armenia, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson has said. Yeremyan Projects opens state-of-the-art dairy production plant Yeremyan Projects officially launched the Yeremyan Products state-of-the-art milk processing plant in Yerevan on May 24. Armenian PM’s helicopter makes emergency landing in Vanadzor The helicopter transporting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made an emergency landing in Vanadzor. |