
ArmInfo. The matter of the supply of weapons is settled the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak said this on March 13 during a joint press conference with Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, responding to a question about how Slovak arms designed for Israel turned out to be in Azerbaijanwithout a corresponding license . He stressed that the Armenian diplomatic structures informed the Slovak side about this problem. "Together with the Ministry of Economy, we checked the entire process last August and found no mistakes.
According to the documentation, Israel is clearly indicated as the final recipient in the Slovak-Israeli agreement. This question, I believe, is closed," the Slovak Minister summed up. In turn, Mnatsakanyan confirmed that this issue was on the bilateral agenda, and it still requires more comprehensive attention from the point of view that Armenia does not welcome the arms race in the region and is quite sensitive to such issues. "I am grateful to Lajcak that were able to be involved in this process, as well as to increase sensitivity and vigilance to the issues of preventing the arms race. This issue was and remains on our bilateral agenda and in a wider context," Mnatsakanyan said.
To note, last July, the well-known in Slovakia Den nik N edition published a lengthy article on the sensational sale of weapons Baku. According to this article, the Slovak military equipment was imported to Azerbaijan through Israel. And although the Slovak authorities claim that the deal is legal, all documents are in order and the weapons were exported to Israel, the Armenian diplomat considers unacceptable the fact that Azerbaijan, which constantly threatens Armenia and Karabakh, has become the ultimate recipient of offensive weapons. Presumably, the matter concerns bout 60-65 units of military equipment: these are howitzers and Vampire rockets made back in the former Czechoslovakia in the 1970-1980s.