Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 25
By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:
Arms sale to Armenia is a proof of double standards and an attempt to disrupt stability in the region, Ali Ahmadov, deputy prime minister, deputy chairman and executive secretary of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party said Feb. 25.
He was commenting on the sale of weapons and military equipment by Russia to Armenia.
While international structures also confirm that the aggressor state Armenia has occupied the Azerbaijani territories, the sale of weapons to this country is another step to disrupt stability and increase the tension in South Caucasus, according to Ahmadov.
The deputy prime minister noted that sometimes, Russia sells weapons to Armenia at a very low price.
"Armenia explains this with its membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization," he said.
"We condemn this. If it continues this way, even more efforts will be needed to restore stability in South Caucasus," Ahmadov added.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.