Delivery of Czech DANA howitzers to Azerbaijan has been carried out through third countries, says Defense Minister

17:46, 9 April, 2019

YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. The delivery of the DANA howitzers of Czech production to Azerbaijan has been carried out through third countries, Defense minister of the Czech Republic Lubomir Metnar said during a press briefing with the Armenian defense minister in Yerevan, reports Armenpress.

The minister said the delivery has not been conducted by the Czech Republic. “This issue is being discussed both in the Armenian and Czech media field. First of all I want to state that the Czech Republic is fulfilling not only the international, but also the Czech legislation’s demands and clearly controls the license process of exports. We fulfill all demands of the international embargo and do not provide any licenses for the supplies to Azerbaijan”, he said.

The Czech defense minister stated that during 2016-2017 there have been applications for getting a license in some cases and exporting from Czech Republic both the aforementioned howitzers and the starting stations, but these appeals have been rejected by the proposal of the defense and interior ministries. “The Czech Republic clearly fulfills the demands of the international law, in particular the restrictions on international arms equipment set by the OSCE. We support the peaceful settlement efforts”, he said.