MOST EXPERTS BELIEVE RUSSIA DELIVERS AMMO TO ARMENIA: POLL

Trend News Agency
Jan 14 2009
Azerbaijan

A range of media sources released an information about Russia has
delivered ammunition to Armenia from the Russian 102nd military unit
in Gumru with cost $800 million.

Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Vasiliy Istratov was invited to the
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on Jan. 13. Russia’s Defense Ministry
dismissed reports that $800 million in ammunition was delivered
to Armenia

– What is your attitude to the information that Russia delivered
ammunition to Armenia?

Trend News correspondents turned to experts and political scientists
for comments on the mater.

MP Asim Mollazade, Chairman of the Democratic Reforms Party of
Azerbaijan:

– The refutation by the Russian Ministry of Defense causes
contradiction to the management of the second Russian contingent
in Armenia that stated that the ammunition was delivered under the
bilateral agreement, including the list of ammunition, i.e. the exact
number of tanks, APCs and artillery mounts.

There is nothing new. In the mid of 1990s an illegal transmission of
ammunition was carried out. And official agencies were not informed
about it. Today the situation is repeated. Russia provides Armenia with
armament in fact. Russia turned Armenia to a military unit. Armenia
is Russia’s key arm in the region.

Today Armenia’s policy is the main factor hindering the development of
the region. Russia, being the co-chairman of the Minsk Group, assists
in settling of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and, on the other hand,
arms one of the conflicting sides.

I think that Azerbaijan should rise the issue in international
organizations, and especially in the OSCE.

Svante Cornell, Caucasus Institute Research Director:

-The ammunition delivery once more proves that Russia remains Armenia’s
ally. This is not new, as Russia and Armenia have cooperated during
the history. In 1990s Russia has already delivered $1 billion in
ammunition to Armenia. Sometimes Russia wants to attract Azerbaijan
to itself by possible settling of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

We must understand that Russia has huge investments in Armenia and the
Kremlin carries out pro-Armenian policy in the South Caucasus. If the
information about Russia’s ammunition deliveries to Armenia is proved,
then Azerbaijan will have to re-consider its relations with Russia.

Russian MP Gennadiy Gudkov, Deputy Chairman of the Duma Security
Committee:

– This is the attempt to play anti-Russian map. I can accurately spay
about the position of Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Defence
Ministry. We occupy neutrality in this issue. Even when the issue about
withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia was being solved, and many
spoke that Russia would deliver weapon and armaments e directly to
Armenia – this did not occur. Russia waits, when the sides of conflict
– Armenia and Azerbaijan – negotiated agreement, and the country will
be ready ensure the guaranty of this agreement to both republics.

Russia will never realize ammunition deliveries to Armenia damaging
safety of Azerbaijan and vice versa, because Russia is not interested
in retention of tension in the Caucasus region, especially in
repetition of armed conflict between two former brother republics.

I think that this of weft, but I do not think that it appeared
randomly. Such rumours periodically were thrown to the information
field, and it seems to me that this is the sequential attempt
to complicate the Russia- Azerbaijan relations. I think that such
attempts to provoke worsening in the relations between our countries
will continue, we would relate to this issue quietly, by giving
proper rebuff and by preserving constant course on the development
of relations between Azerbaijan and Russia.

Tofig Abbasov, expert of Lider media holding analytical group Lider:

– The freelance visit of Russia’s ambassador to the Foreign Ministry of
Azerbaijan is not groundless. The confirmation of the new deal between
Moscow and Yerevan is the fact that the Russian side takes unawares and
is covered by the curtain of "inter-governmental agreement", when has
not yet set the final point in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. In this case, Moscow roused Yerevan to again roughly violate
the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), and to also
ignore quotas for the armaments, established by the corresponding
reports of the United Nations.

This incident must be considered in the context of the last
peacemaking initiatives of Russia, which attempted to be affirmed as
the determining force in the post-Soviet territory.

The shady Russian armament deliveries to Armenia, under whatever
pretext they were realized, will negatively affect the fate of
Azerbaijani-Russian co-operation agreements, and also will make
it necessary for Baku to re-consider its views on the prospect in
light of expectations, which were connected with the energy sector,
transport and telecommunications.

Sergey Markov, Russian MP, director of Political Studies Institute:

– I think that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be resolved in a
more successfully peaceful way. The matter is that within the peace,
Azerbaijan is considerably stronger than Armenia.

Certainly, delivering Russian arms will negatively affect the
Russian-Azerbaijani relations. I have not detailed information the
recent delivery of the Russian arms to Armenia, but this event is not
some extraodinary. We know well that Russia repeatedly transferred
the armaments to Armenia, including fulfilling its some obligations.

Senan Ogan, director of Turkish-based TURKSAM studies center:

– This is not news that Russia arms Armenia. There are many facts
that Russia arms not only Armenia, but also, for example, Greek Cyprus.

This fact is especially dangerous now, since after August war in
Georgia this can break balance in the region. It needs to take into
account that an agreement on military reconciliation was signed between
Armenia and Azerbaijan, but this does not mean that in reality there
is peace between them.

Despite that Russia was against the armament of Georgia by the West,
now Moscow itself pursues this policy with respect to Caucasus. This
fact destroys the hopes of Turkey for peace in the region.

Rashad Rzaguliyev, president of Azerbaijani-based Social Researches
Fund:

– Undoubtedly, Russia’s supply of arm and ammunition in amount of $800
million to Armenia is an unpleasant fact for Azerbaijan. However, it is
possible to make certain conclusions. Russia will increase its military
presence in the region, having demonstratively answered the signing of
not less demonstrative American-Georgian agreement. The opposition of
Russia and the USA in the region will present numerous surprises to us.

The events force Azerbaijan to use the entire political-diplomatic
potential to ensure the format of national security fully. I do
not think that sharp worsening in the Azerbaijan-Russian relations
looming at the horizon, but undoubtedly certain tension appeared,
of which it is necessary to regret only.

R.Agayev (Moscow), R.Hafizoglu, B.Hasanov (Baku) contributed to
the article.