Baku, Azerbaijan, July 23
By Elchin Mehdiyev, Azad Hasanli – Trend:
Amid the recent corruption scandal in the Armenian army, the country’s Defense Minister David Tonoyan’s statement that Russia allegedly completed the supply of arms to Armenia, stipulated in a $200 million contract, is nothing but an attempt to artificially inspire the Armenian people, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry told Trend July 23.
“According to the Armenian side, serious problems occurred in the supply of Russian-made weapons,” the ministry said. "However, in a short period contradicting his previous words, Tonoyan says without any remorse that Russia allegedly fully completed the supply of arms to Armenia. As for the statement that the weapons supplied to Armenia are not even on the balance of the Russian army, it is nothing but trickery on its own people."
“Such statements made by the Armenian side, amid corruption scandals in the army, are an attempt to inspire people, designed for the internal audience,” the ministry said.
"As a defense minister, Tonoyan must know that Russia will not supply weapons to any other side without providing its own troops with them," the ministry said. “Of course, the Russian army does not have the armaments the Armenian defense minister proudly speaks about. The reason is simple: those weapons are already out of date and are not suitable for use."
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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
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