India has signed a significant export order for missiles, rockets and ammunition to Armenia as the Asian nation is engaged in a prolonged border conflict with neighbour Azerbaijan. The government to government route was used to sign a number of contracts for the supply of arms and ammunition to Armenia earlier this month reported Manu Pubby of Economic Times.

The value of the contracts is estimated to be worth over Rs 2,000. The supply of the weapon systems will be completed over the coming months. India has been making significant efforts to increase weapons exports, with policy reforms and active support of the government to secure overseas orders.

This is the first ever first-ever export of the indigenous Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers.

Earlier in July this year, an Armenian defence delegation had visited India to explore the possibility of buying Indian-manufactured combat drones and other weapons.

As per a media report the delegation “came armed with a shopping list” when it met with Indian officials last month. Citing an unnamed official, it said that drones “figured prominently on the list.”

Visiting Yerevan, a senior official from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said India and Armenia are discussing “long-term” military cooperation as part of their efforts to deepen their ties. The official, Sanjay Verma, spoke during a session of an Indian-Armenian intergovernmental commission on bilateral cooperation.

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who co-chaired the session with Verma, listed “defence and military-technical cooperation” among the areas that are “very promising for our countries.”

Mirzoyan held talks with Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar in April on the sidelines of an international conference held in India. It was their third face-to-face meeting in eight months. Jaishankar visited Armenia last October.

“India sees Armenia not only as a friend but a good counterweight to Turkey whose President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been particularly belligerent on the Kashmir issue and followed a number of policies inimical to India,” wrote dnaindia.com. It noted that India’s arch-foe Pakistan is allied to Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Pakistan strongly supported Azerbaijan during the 2020 Armenian-Azerbaijani war over Nagorno-Karabakh.