Free Democrats Party slams Russia over deal with Azerbaijan
The Free Democrats party has expressed its concerns over the deal between Russia and Azerbaijan allowing Russia to sell $1 billion worth of military equipment to Azerbaijan.
"This isn't the first the time that Russia, which is considered Armenia's strategic ally, has supplied Azerbaijan with military equipment, thereby contributing to Azerbaijan's bellicose and belligerent policies," the party said in a statement released on June 26.
"The supply of ground weapons meant to provoke attacks is actually a disregard of the Azerbaijan's repeated statements on their readiness to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in a military way. Moreover, it increases the likelihood of a military aggression against Armenia, a founding member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), at the expense of the military equipment supplied by Russia, which is another member of the CSTO.
The OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs, as well as the presidents of the co-chairing countries have repeatedly urged Azerbaijan and Armenia to stop armament and direct their efforts to the settlement of the conflict through talks. But today we witness that Russia itself contributes to Azerbaijan's militarization. Eventually, the entry of this great number of weapons into the conflicting region strengthens tension and simultaneously hinders the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Free Democrats Party views Russia's step as a retreat from strategic partnership relations and calls on the Armenian authorities to revise their approach towards the Armenian-Russian alliance. The Party also calls the attention of the international community, especially the OSCE Minsk Group, to the problem and waits for their response," reads the statement.
