YEREVAN. – Armenian Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan stated in Moscow that Russia will supply the first batch—four aircrafts—of the multifunctional Su-30SM fighter jets to Armenia in early 2020, according to Zhamanak (Time) newspaper.

“Tonoyan announced that there is also a plan to continue the purchase of these planes.

“At the same time, the minister announced that Yerevan has already transferred the first tranche of the airplanes’ price, which means that Yerevan is acquiring them in cash.

“Tonoyan stated that Armenia has big plans to acquire new armament, [that] it will purchase the armament from Russia, and ‘we [Armenia] will arm ourselves and rearm ourselves very strictly.’

“That statement of the Defense Minister, of course, is in line with Armenia’s new defense policy where the circumstance of passing from defensive tactics to offensive [tactics] is stressed,” Zhamanak wrote.