Azerbaijan issues note of protest over Russia's arms deal with Armenia
Azerbaijan demands that the Kremlin provide assurance that weapons supplied to Armenia won't be located in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Azerbaijani authorities handed over a note of protest to Russia in connection with the arms deal signed between Moscow and Yerevan, according to a report by BBC Ukraine, with reference to the official representative of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hikmet Hajiyev.
"Weapons acquired by Yerevan are usually situated in the separatist region of Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh," Hajiyev said, and Azerbaijan expect Russia to provide assurances that military equipment sold to Armenia won't be placed there.
Hajiyev stressed that supplying Armenia with modern weapons doesn't contribute to the settlement of the conflict in the region.
On February 18th, Russia signed an agreement to loan Armenia $200 million for the purchase of weapons. Yerevan is going to use the money to buy Smerch multiple launch rocket systems, Igla-S anti-aircraft missile systems, TOS-1A flamethrower systems, Autobase-M electronic intelligence systems, guided missiles, grenade launchers and sniper rifles from Moscow.
In September 2015, the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) working towards a peaceful settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh expressed serious concerns about the use of heavy weapons in the conflict by both the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides.