“The purpose behind the complaints from Ilham Aliyev is to reach the Russian side in an attempt to disturb such cooperation between Armenia and Russia,” Razminfo website coordinator and military affairs expert Karen Vrtanesyan told Aravot Daily in an interview regarding Ilham Aliyev’s expression of dissatisfaction during an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that Armenia received 400 tons of weapons from Russia.
The Azerbaijani press service issued a statement about this, according to which the phone call was based on Ilham Aliyev’s initiative and his intention was to discuss the supply of weapons to Armenia. The Kremlin’s press service also issued a statement about the phone call between Putin and Aliyev, which did not include any information about weapons supply.
Karen Vrtanesyan assured that he does not believe Ilham Aliyev’s dissatisfaction will have any serious influence on Armenian-Russian military relations.
When asked if it is possible for Aliyev’s dissatisfaction to be the basis of a new transaction between Azerbaijan and Russia, Karen Vrtanesyan said, “If I am to be honest, 400 tons is not that much to begin with. This is part of some cooperation. By the way, it is not accurate to claim that this has to do with the events in July. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. Such complaints are a form of manipulation that is meant to receive bonuses. Even more, such complaints are ridiculous after considering how many weapons Azerbaijan has received from Russia. It continues to receive military equipment even now. They frequently showcase their weapons supply in any way they can to show Armenia that they also receive weapons. Based on this, the dissatisfaction seems to be out of place. The purpose of his complaints is to get something in return.”
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According to the expert, Armenian-Russian relations are more so based on the actions of Armenia and Russia instead of Russians’ desire to appease Aliyev. He does not believe that Aliyev’s dissatisfaction will play a huge role, especially since the conversation was displayed differently on the Kremlin’s website. For example, Aliyev’s dissatisfaction with the supply of weapons was not even included.
To summarize, Karen Vrtanesyan said that even if the Russian side listened to those complaints, it did not provide a serious response at least in the form of an official statement. It was not considered serious enough for an official announcement.
Tatev Harutyunyan
