Experts link amnesty of blogger Lapshin with Israel`s suspension of  arms supplies to Azerbaijan

ArmInfo. Head of the Center for Regional Studies Richard Kirakosyan is convinced that the amnesty of the Russian-Israeli blogger Alexander Lapshin by the President of  Azerbaijan is connected with the decision of Israel to suspend supplies of AR weapons.

"I believe that Aliyev's serious impact on this decision was caused  by Israel's suspension of arms supplies to Azerbaijan," Kirakossian  said September 11 in Yerevan at the round table "Security and  Diplomacy in the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict. A new stage?>

In his turn, Deputy Director of the Caucasus Institute Sergey  Minasyan also believes that this is connected with the suspension of  the implementation of the weapons contract. "But, one must take into  account the fact that the Azerbaijani authorities also linked amnesty  with the attempt of suicide by Lapshin in the cell. I also would not  ignore the current visit of Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir  Hasanov to Israel," Minasyan said.

Previously, Azerbaijani media reported that Azerbaijani President  Ilham Aliyev signed an order to amnesty Alexander Lapshin.

Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan for Social  and Political Affairs Ali Hasanov noted that according to the order,  Lapshin is released from serving the remaining term of punishment in  Azerbaijan and, probably, will be extradited to Israel in the near  future. Hasanov also said that on September 10, Lapshin attempted to  commit suicide in the institution where he served his sentence.

To remind, Alexander Lapshin, a citizen of Israel and Russia, was  sentenced to three years of imprisonment by the Baku Crimes Court on  July 20, 2017 for three years of imprisonment. Even a public  "remorse" in the courtroom for visiting Artsakh, a statement on the  need to resolve the Karabakh conflict within the framework of  Azerbaijan's interests, did not help the blogger to avoid Azerbaijani  "justice". Although, perhaps, Lapshin's "repentance" helped him to  soften the measure of punishment, since earlier the prosecutor had  demanded for him 6.5 years of imprisonment.

To note, Lapshin was declared by the Azerbaijani authorities for  international search after visiting Artsakh.  Later he was arrested  in Belarus and extradited to Azerbaijan. Attempts by the MFA of  Russia and Ukraine (Lapshin was a citizen of these states and Israel)  to correct the situation proved futile.