ArmInfo. Arman Melikyan, the former foreign minister of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR), independent analyst, believes that the recent demonstration of Iskander systems during the military parade in Yerevan may stimulate Moscow and Baku for a wider military cooperation. "One can draw such conclusion at least from the recent chain of events," Melikyan told ArmInfo.
The Iskander (NATO designation SS-26 Stone) short-range ballistic missile. These missiles are capable of hitting moving targets, as target coordination can be adjusted while the missile is in-flight. The Iskander has several different conventional warheads, including cluster, fuel-air explosive, bunker-busting and electro-magnetic pulse. It can also carry nuclear warheads despite the fact that this will violate INF treaty. Maximum range of fire is 280 km for the export version and 400 km for the Russian Army version. Minimum range is 50 km.
"As far as I know, Iskander systems were supplied to Armenia yet before the April events. I do not think that Baku did not know about it when unleashing aggression against Artsakh in April. In other words, the Azerbaijani leadership just ignored the existence of Iskander systems in the arsenal of the Armenian side. I do not rule out that they were just sure that the Armenian armed forces will not use them," the analyst said. Actually, Melikyan says, the threat of resumption of the military actions in the Karabakh conflict zone stimulated the arms race in the South Caucasus.
It is noteworthy that many Armenian and Russian experts in the military field do think that Iskander-M systems were supplied to Armenia much earlier than demonstrated during the military parade on September 21. Nevertheless, Sergey Minasyan, Deputy Head of the Caucasus Institute, told ArmInfo earlier that it was existence of Iskander systems in the Armed Forces of Armenia that prevented a large-scale war in April.