BEIRUT, LEBANON (8:30 P.M.) – Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed his disapproval of Russian arms supplies to Armenia this week, while holding a telephone meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. on Wednesday.
According to the Tass News Agency, Aliyev expressed his country’s “concern about military shipments from Russia to Armenia.”
The press office of the President of Azerbaijan stated: “Ilham Aliyev indicated that the volume of military shipments that were delivered immediately after the armed clashes on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border (in July) from Russia to Armenia using the airspace of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran, exceeded 400 tons, and stressed that the main purpose of his phone call is to clarify this problem. ”
The press office said that Aliyev “drew the attention of the Russian {resident to the fact that the intensity of military shipments from Russia to Armenia after July 17 until now, after the end of the clashes on the Armenian-Azerbaijani borders, raises the concern of the Azerbaijani people and their serious questions.”
The press office indicated that during the conversation that took place on the initiative of the Azerbaijani side, the two parties also discussed issues of bilateral cooperation, and expressed their common desire to further strengthen the Azerbaijani-Russian partnership in all fields.
The Kremlin press office said on Wednesday, that the two leaders exchanged views during the conversation on regional issues in the context of the escalation of the situation on the Azerbaijani-Armenian borders in July.
The press office added that the Russian side stressed the importance of preventing any action that would escalate tension in the region.
Armenia and Azerbaijan were involved in a fierce battle along their border, beginning on July 12th; this culminated in 18 deaths, including 12 Azerbaijani soldiers.