Dissatisfaction of the Republic of Azerbaijan with the sale of French weapons to Armenia

, military cooperation between France and Armenia was recently signed, and according to Azerbaijani media, French-made Bastion multi-purpose armored vehicles have already been delivered to Armenia.

Ali Naqeef, the head of the State Security Service of Azerbaijan, in a meeting with Pia Kauma, the head of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said that the arming of Armenia by some countries in order to re-escalate the situation in the region when there is a favorable opportunity for peace, it is “unacceptable” and such cases lead to the recurrence of war. can provide the necessary support for the confidence-building process between Azerbaijan and Armenia and its position on the future security of the region.

Based on the military cooperation agreement that Armenia will receive three Ground Master 200 radar systems as well as other types of military equipment and ammunition from French defense group Thales, Armenian Defense Minister Soren Papikyan signed with his French counterpart Sébastien Lecorneau on October 23.

This radar system is capable of detecting and tracking threats such as drones, helicopters and cruise missiles.

This contract is the first contract signed by Armenia with a Western country.

In a joint press conference with Armenian Defense Minister Soren Papikian In Paris, LeCourneau stated that the radar system currently in use in Ukraine is known for its “exceptional detection capabilities”.

Soren Papikian said: “France and the French people are by our side in the complex military-political situation around Armenia, like the difficult moments in the history of the Armenian people, which deserves the greatest gratitude and I am grateful for it once again.

Lecorno wrote in an article on his user account on social networks: Armenia must be able to defend itself and protect its people, and France will train the Armenian ground defense forces and reform and will support the modernization of this country’s army. In this regard, a French officer is sent as a military advisor to the Ministry of Defense of Armenia.

Baku condemned the sending of French military equipment to Armenia and this It assessed Paris’ action as a “destructive activity” in the region. The French government has not responded to this criticism.

Armenia is also interested in deepening military cooperation with India.

According to the information provided by the Indian news site “EurAsian Times” this week, a contract was signed between Armenia and India for the purchase of anti-drone systems worth 41.5 million dollars.

Azerbaijan’s points of concern in the military cooperation between France and Armenia

Azerbaijani media have published information about the delivery of France-made Bastion multipurpose military armored vehicles to Armenia on Sunday.

In a video circulating on social media, images of military armored personnel carriers said to be Bastion have been circulating.

The Caliber.az website published photos and videos that it claims were taken from Puti and that armored vehicles were transported from the Georgian port of Puti to Armenia by land through Georgian territory.

According to this site, the Georgian government has long rejected the proposal to transfer French weapons to Armenia, but has given the green light to the transit of armored vehicles.

The Georgian government has not yet announced its position regarding these claims.

Baku confirmed the transfer of military vehicles from France to Armenia and strongly criticized it, accusing France of destructive activity in the region.

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, it was announced: These actions of France, which presents itself as a supporter of international law and supporter of peace and stability in the region, are efforts to normalize relations based on recognition and Mutual respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and international borders of the countries of the region are seriously questioned and serve to aggravate the situation.

Iran this action for defense purposes and said: This decision is a step towards making the country’s security environment more inclusive.

Azerbaijan asked Armenia and France to End arming and militarization in the region.

Aikhan Hajizadeh, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, said: these countries must finally understand that there is no other alternative to There is no peace and cooperation in the region.

How will Armenia’s ammunition be financed? ?

Aqeel Rostamzadeh, a military expert of Azerbaijan, says: the modern Ground Master 200 radar system has the ability to detect air targets in It is 250 kilometers away. It seems that the armed forces of Armenia want to restore the lost combat power of the air defense forces. Azerbaijan destroyed most of the technical equipment of the Armenian Air Defense Force during the 44-day military conflict and its aftermath.

Rostamzadeh believes: Armenia wants to expand Military cooperation is with France, but weapons produced by Western countries are expensive and Armenia’s budget is insufficient. As we know, air defense systems include different sets of anti-aircraft missiles. Most likely, Armenia will buy anti-aircraft missile systems from France in the next phase. But it should be noted that weapons produced by advanced countries are expensive and Armenia is a country with few financial resources. On what scale this process will be carried out, it raises questions for me. Le Monde published, it was mentioned that this contract includes the sale of radar and anti-aircraft missile systems as well as training for France’s support to Armenia, but the question is how Armenia will pay these costs?!

Le Monde wrote: These are not arms procurements like military aid to Ukraine, but contracts whose amount can reach several hundred million euros. But it is still unclear how Yerevan will pay their money.

One An important event in Armenia’s relations with the Western camp

Harachia Arzumanian, Armenian political science expert, signing of the military cooperation agreement- Feni considers the meeting between Armenia and France an “important event” not only in relations between Armenia and France, but also in relations with the Western camp in general.

He believes that: Although Armenia is still officially a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and a military ally of Russia, this is the first step to establish new relations in the West and search for new allies in the field of security instead of relations with Russia, which has not fulfilled its obligations. And in fact, he has betrayed Armenia.

Arzomanian says: This is an important step to participate in the formation of a new regional security architecture within the framework of the Western strategy for the South Caucasus. which was previously considered completely under the control of authoritarian regimes by Russia and Turkey.

end of message/