Putin on arms sales to Azerbaijan: Baku can purchase ammo anywhere

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia will continue to press for a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday, August 10 after holding talks in Moscow with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan, RFE/RL Armenian Service reports.

Putin, who also met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Monday, insisted that both Armenia and Azerbaijan are committed to a compromise settlement but would not say whether it can be achieved in the coming months.

Speaking at a news conference, Putin dismissed a widely held belief in Armenia that Russia has only increased the risk of another Karabakh war with its large-scale arms sales to Baku. He implied that oil-rich Azerbaijan would have been able to purchase offensive weapons from other nations had Russia refused to sign defense contracts, reportedly worth $4 billion, with it in 2010-2011.

Putin also argued that Russia has long been providing substantial military aid to Armenia, its main regional ally. Moscow “always fulfills its obligations” to Yerevan relating to defense, he said.