Moscow to Send Protest Note to Armenia Regarding ORSIS Issue

The newspaper "168 Hours" reports that Moscow will raise the issue of the disrupted arms sale tender during communications with Yerevan. Recently, several leading Russian media outlets, including the RIA Novosti agency and the RBC television channel's website, announced that Moscow will send a protest note to Armenia over the disruption of the arms sale tender in which the Russian ORSIS company participated.

The reports indicated that the Armenian Ministry of Defense had announced a tender for the acquisition of a large batch of special equipment worth several million dollars, in which the Russian ORSIS company was recognized as the winner through its representation in Armenia. According to the reports, it soon became apparent that the tender was closed without clarification. In August, the company appealed to a lawyer representing its interests in Armenia, resulting in a lawsuit being filed.

According to the publication by RIA Novosti, the protest note is already with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will soon be conveyed to the Armenian side through diplomatic channels. The document has reportedly been signed by Deputy Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Oleg Ryazantsev and is addressed to Armenian Defense Minister David Tonoyan, specifically noting that ORSIS's application to participate in the tender was "rejected without justification," while the company itself has been included in the list of unreliable suppliers "without substantiation."

The protest note also states that the Armenian Ministry of Defense "illegally demanded a bank guarantee payment for participation in the tender," even though the company is obliged by law to pay compensation only after winning the tender and subsequently refusing to sign the contract. Russian publications indicate that David Tonoyan is urged to take steps to resolve the situation.

168.am attempted to inquire from the Information and Press Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs whether a document or letter with similar content had been received from the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and if a protest note was prepared to be sent to the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding this issue. The Information and Press Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded that they are aware of this matter and stated, "It will be raised during communications with the Armenian side."

It is also worth noting that a day earlier, in an interview with 168.am, Armenian Ministry of Defense press secretary Artsrun Hovhannisyan commented on the RIA Novosti publication, stating that the issue surrounding ORSIS has initially gone in the wrong direction due to various anonymous sources and unclear motivations. More details can be found in today's newspaper.