The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan reported that Armenia has recently initiated several provocative actions, using heavy weaponry on the locality of Kalbajar. The Armenians also allegedly used quadcopters in the direction of the city of Tovuz, Azernews reports.
Azerbaijan condemned the military exercises carried out by the United States in Armenia, the supply of “lethal weapons” by France and a military financial aid worth ten million euros offered by the European Union. Even Moscow criticizes its (still) ally in the Caucasus for these steps (and others) of rapprochement with the West, but for different reasons.
The authorities in Baku emphasize that Armenia is in fact preparing for a new war, they say, and the US, France and the EU are offering support and training in exchange for actions and decisions by Yerevan that would ultimately harm Russia. A recent news story about a possible $500 million purchase of weapons from Iran by Armenia has stirred the waters. The news was refuted by the Ministry of Defense in Yerevan, but I also wonder why.
If the news is indeed false, then speculation is pointless, but some truth must be there, because for a period of time relations between Iran and Armenia were developing strongly and at a fast pace. The transfer of Iranian weapons is, under these conditions, to be expected. But these conditions have changed and Armenia’s proximity to the West forces them to limit their contacts with Tehran. Therefore, if the information is real, then the Armenians try to deny it so as not to prejudice the eventual arms purchases and agreements concluded with NATO states. All this would indeed indicate accelerated military readiness and possibly even war readiness.
But Baku also has similar agreements, with Turkey and Israel. The Baku-Tel Aviv relationship is relatively recent but very solid, which has raised concerns not only for Iran but also for Turkey, an important ally. Russia is keeping its distance for now, but remains among the most important arms suppliers to Azerbaijan, on a par with Israel.
If we look at the big picture, from a distance, we will see a strange situation. Armenia has the support of the US and France, while Azerbaijan enjoys the support of Israel. When I talk about support, I mean agreements aimed at security, military equipment and training, not that the aforementioned sides are in a proxy conflict in the Caucasus.
The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense has warned Armenia and its supporters “once again” (now France and the US) that they must refrain from creating a new conflict in the South Caucasus region.
If these provocative actions against our country are not stopped, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan will respond using all the means at their disposal for the purpose of self-defense. We declare that the military-political leadership of Armenia, and its supporters, will bear full responsibility for the escalation of the situation in the region.MINISTRY OF DEFENSE OF AZERBAIJAN
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia issued a statement in which it wrote, among other things: “We recall that the Republic of Armenia, through diplomatic channels and publicly, proposed to Azerbaijan to create a reciprocal arms control mechanism and to sign an agreement in this regard. Despite this, the proposal remains valid.”