India on Monday sent, for export, the first Akash surface-to-air missile (SAM) system battery to a "friendly foreign country", i.e., Armenia.
Then, a recent poll in Armenia conducted by the International Republican Institute’s Center for Insights in Survey Research, included, amongst other things, a view of Armenia's external relationships. A total of 11 countries were chosen. It was interesting to see that India was at the top of the list, which also included France, Iran, Russia, the US, and Turkey.
Moreover, a whopping 48 percent of respondents felt that relations with India were "very good", while 45 percent felt it was "good", far outstripping how respondents evaluated the current state of affairs with more traditional allies and friends like Iran, Georgia, Russia, and the US.
Soon after, a Finance Ministry report in India stated that Armenia had become the largest importer of weapons from India after deals for the Pinaka multiple-launch rocket system and the Akash anti-aircraft system materialised. The report also said that by the beginning of the current financial year 2024-25, the total purchase of weapons by Armenia from India had reached $600 million.