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Business Or Brotherhood?: Russian Arms Supplies To Azerbaijan Trigge

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  • Business Or Brotherhood?: Russian Arms Supplies To Azerbaijan Trigge

    BUSINESS OR BROTHERHOOD?: RUSSIAN ARMS SUPPLIES TO AZERBAIJAN TRIGGER ARMENIAN BACKLASH

    http://www.armenianow.com/karabakh/47411/armenia_karabakh_azerbaijan_russia_arms_supply
    KARABAKH | 03.07.13 | 09:41

    Photo: www.president.az

    By NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
    ArmeniaNow correspondent

    The sale by Russia of offensive weapons to Azerbaijan caused a wave
    of discontent in Armenia. What particularly angered many local
    politicians and experts was the sale of Smerch rocket launchers,
    which are considered to be one of the deadliest weapons.

    First Armenian political analysts and experts loyal to Russia had
    to prove that nothing bad had happened and that Russia did have the
    right to sell arms to Azerbaijan, as it gives Armenia weapons almost
    for free.

    Then Russia's Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and
    Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization
    (CSTO) Nikolai Bordyuzha had to come to Armenia to assure partners
    in Yerevan that the sale of arms to Azerbaijan was pure business and
    that in order to "maintain the balance" Russia was also arming Armenia.

    Not all in Armenia, however, were convinced and some experts and
    politicians began to even express opinions through media that Armenia
    should undertake symmetrical measures by refusing to continue to
    host the Russian military base, declaring about its withdrawal from
    the CSTO and moving to terminate its agreement on strategic alliance
    with Russia.

    But the most remarkable thing is that this time around discontent
    was also raised in Karabakh. Independent Karabakh MP Vahan Badasyan
    made a tough statement, accusing the Armenian authorities of allowing
    themselves to become too much dependent on Russia to the degree that
    Moscow now determines the policy of Armenia in the Karabakh issue.

    Then, in an interview with karabakh-open.info first commander of
    the Karabakh Self-Defense Forces (1990-91) Arkady Karapetyan accused
    Russia of preparing a 'new genocide' of Armenians in Karabakh.

    Describing the combat characteristics of Smerch systems, Karapetyan
    said he did not want to sit and wait until Azerbaijan uses this lethal
    weapon against his family. He said that Russia must choose - either
    business or brotherhood. And if it chooses business over brotherhood,
    let the Russians pay for the military base in Armenia, he emphasized.

    On July 2, in Yerevan, during the presentation of the revised
    version of the book 'Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Between
    Peace and War' an interesting polemic took place between its author,
    senior associate at the Washington Carnegie Endowment specializing
    in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Thomas de Waal and Director of the
    Yerevan-based Caucasus Institute Alexander Iskandaryan.

    "After the accumulation of a certain quantity and quality of weapons
    on both sides of the conflict the resumption of hostilities becomes
    unlikely. Accumulation of arms triggers the mechanism of deterrence
    based on threat. In this respect, I do not agree with Thomas de Waal
    that the likelihood of renewed hostilities has increased, on the
    contrary, it is decreasing," said Iskandaryan.

    De Waal, in his turn, stressed that along with the process of
    accumulation of arms tensions are rising in the region, which at
    one point will get out of control, as it happened during the First
    World War.

    Meanwhile, active citizens in Armenia are now discussing questions
    like: will the asymmetrical armament of Azerbaijan and Armenia by
    Russia lead to renewed hostilities and why the Armenian leadership
    does not express a tough stance on the matter?

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