AZERBAIJAN SAYS RUSSIA-ARMENIA ARMS DEAL TO AFFECT KARABAKH SETTLEMENT

Azeri Press Agency
Jan 15 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku, 15 January: Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued
a statement on reports about a Russia-Armenia arms deal worth 800m
dollars.

The press service of [Azerbaijan’s] Foreign Ministry has told APA news
agency that reports confirming the delivery of weapons and ammunition
from Russia’s military base No 102 located in the Armenian town of
Gyumri to the Armenian armed forces have been distributed. The Foreign
Ministry said that an investigation carried out to clarify the matter
provided sufficient grounds to conclude that arms and ammunition had
indeed been delivered.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan expresses deep
concern over this issue. The delivered ammunition will considerably
strengthen the military potential of the country that occupied
part of Azerbaijan’s territory. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of Azerbaijan considers that the arms transfer will encourage the
continuation and strengthening of the occupation. The arms transfer
is a clear violation of the UN Security Council resolutions on the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict and the UN General Assembly’s resolution
on the situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan adopted
on 14 March 2008. The matter is about Russia’s violation of its
obligations not to support any measures taken for the continuation
and strengthening of the occupation of Azerbaijani territories."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also expresses Azerbaijan’s deep
concern over friendly and strategic relations between Azerbaijan and
Russia, as well as Azerbaijan’s hopes for Russia’s mediation role in
the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers that the abovementioned
issues make the Russian Federation responsible for further developments
with regards to the [Nagornyy Karabakh] conflict resolution.

The statement also protests measures aimed at further deepening the
occupation of Azerbaijani territories: "We urge the Russian Federation
to take all possible measures to eliminate the consequences of the
arms transfer."