Sales of Russian weapons to Azerbaijan should arouse seller’s concern – Armenian MP
19.03.2015,
14:42
Sales of Russian arms to Azerbaijan should be the matter of the seller’s concern, Gagik Melikyan, head of the faction of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia in the National Assembly, told journalists on Thursday.
YEREVAN, March 19. /ARKA/. Sales of Russian arms to Azerbaijan should be the matter of the seller’s concern, Gagik Melikyan, head of the faction of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia in the National Assembly, told journalists on Thursday.
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, speaking yesterday at the fifth international media forum ‘At the Bottom of Ararat’, expressed concern over the sales of Russian weapons to Azerbaijan.
The president was quoted by Novosti-Armenia as saying that the allied relations between Armenia and Russia have been developing since 1992, and military cooperation plays an important part in these relations.
«We have always been concerned about weapon sales and we have always spoke about that either at closed discussions or elsewhere,» Melikyan said commenting on the president's speech.
In his opinion, Sargsyan's speech was unprecedented for the idea that this fact should arouse not only Armenia's but also the seller's anxiety.
«Emphasis is put on this, since these weapons target us and our defenders, and our soldiers understand that they may be killed with Russian weapons,» Melikyan said.
Karabakh conflict broke out in 1988 when Karabakh, mainly populated by Armenians, declared its independence from Azerbaijan.
On December 10, 1991, a few days after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a referendum took place in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the majority of the population (99.89%) voted for secession from Azerbaijan. Afterwards, large-scale military operations began.
As a result, Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven regions adjacent to it. Some 30,000 people were killed in this war and about one million people fled their homes.
On May 12, 1994, the Bishkek cease-fire agreement put an end to the military operations. Since 1992, talks brokered by OSCE Minsk Group are being held over peaceful settlement of the conflict. The group is co-chaired by USA, Russia and France. ---0---
