Serge Sargsyan’s statement regarding the sale of weapons to Azerbaijan by Russia hours before leaving for Brussels to the European People’s Party Summit was described as sensational. While, the issue of selling weapons to Azerbaijan by Russia was raised by the government authorities last year at different levels, and, basically, Serzh Sargsyan’s statement is not new, this is already the fourth statements of such kind by the government authorities of Armenia.
So, at the international media forum called “At the Foot of Mount Ararat”, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, in response to the question of a journalist from Moscow regarding the selling of weapons by Russia to Armenia’s EaEU membership and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicting parties, noted, “Since the establishment of the Armed Forces of the Republic od Armenia, we are grateful and thankful to our ally for assistance. Of course, in these relations, we are concerned about Russia’s selling weapons to Azerbaijan out of different reasons and rationale, and the problem here is not the quality of armament. The problem is that an Armenian fellow standing on our border or on the line of contact realizes that they try to destroy him with Russian weapons. This is the hardest thing, and this is what might have a negative influence on our relations. For a long time, during 250 years, the Armenians and Russians have been living side by side, had common enemies, foes, and have not fired at each other from guns produced in their country. This is an issue, a problem, and this problem must be resolved.”
A few days ago, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, in his interview to Slovenian «Dnevnik» daily, addressing the Karabakh settlement issue, said, “We would prefer that Russia not to sell weapons to Azerbaijan. We’re not asking our friendly countries, partner countries to do something for Armenia against somebody else. What we are expecting concretely on Nagorno-Karabakh issue is not to support one side against the other, just to be in line with the position of the international community, expressed by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. And Russia is one of the three Co-Chairs.”
First, it is not clear here why we do not ask or suggest our friend, partner, moreover ally countries to do something for Armenia something against somebody else, for example, Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan conducts consistent work against Armenia at all international structures and with many countries and often achieves success. Recall assassin Safarov’s extradition, now Azerbaijan has joined the extradition of Azerbaijanis Dilham Askerov and Shahbaz Guliyev convicted imprisonment in Nagorno-Karabakh, and one gets the impression that official Baku is working with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs countries in this direction.
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Let’s go back, however, to the Armenian-Russian relations. The TA government authorities cannot revise their decision and raise the issue of termination of Armenia’s membership to the EaEU. This is simple. Or, at least at this stage it is not realistic to expect. The RA government authorities perhaps yet have considered that they had made a right decision, moreover, it is clear that it was a political decision rather than an imperative dictated by economic convenience and expediency. If this structure is established, yet only after then we can create bases to study the possibilities of Armenia’s integration development under the Eurasian framework. Armenia, however, can revise the situation in the co- relationships with Russia by running a more sensitive policy for the benefit of Armenia. This does not require constant public speeches and remarks. On the contrary, Armenian government has a lot to do in the diplomatic arena, which should not always be visible to the public. The outcome of the work completed is preferable to be visible.
Given the fact that since last year Armenian government authorities are publicly voicing the fact of selling weapons to Azerbaijan by Russia and are expressing their concern, one can conclude that they do not raise this issue to the Russian side behind the scenes and prefer to be limited with only public messages. This can even be considered an alarm by the RA government authorities, which hardly be welcomed in Moscow.
In his interview with Clarin newspaper in Buenos Aires, last summer, Serzh Sargsyan for the first time publicly complained about Russia’s selling arms to Azerbaijan. “It is a very painful subject and our people are worried that our strategic ally sells weapons to Azerbaijan.” While, in the last fall, referring to Russia’s arms sales to Azerbaijan, Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan said, “Supplying the enemy with ammunition is always at the core of our attention, and we express our concerns in all instances.”
The subject of supplying Azerbaijan with ammunition has always been raised in different instances and when working with the international organizations, however, the level of Armenian-Russian “strategic” relations suggests a more specific solution to this issue. Russia is an OSCE Minsk Group co-chair country with the United States and France, it implements a mission aimed at achieving peace through Karabakh talks and reconciliation of the parties. But Russia does exactly the opposite. Selling weapons to Azerbaijan, Russia pushes a military solution, or at least its propaganda.
Indeed, it is clear to everyone that if Russia does not sell weapons to Azerbaijan, Aliyev would purchase it from other countries to show his country citizens how “patriotic” he is and where the money goes. But aren’t the Armenian-Russian “strategic” relations worthy for Russia not to sell weapons to Aliyev, like the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing United States and France do not do it.
Armenia joined the EaEU perhaps taking the security guarantees given by Russia as a base and refused signing the EU Association Agreement. Armenia’s and Nagorno-Karabakh’s security has not been improved, but also our opponent country has become more uncontrolled and cynical.
Official Moscow has not responded to Serzh Sargsyan’s already two, RA Defense Minister’s months ago, as well as RA Foreign Minister’s quite transparent and unambiguous statements of Russia’s selling weapons to Azerbaijan. As they say, the ball is with the Russian side.
Emma GABRIELYAN
