Lyubomir Metnar: Czech Republic did not sell weapons to Azerbaijan

ArmInfo. Czech Republic did not sellof armament to Azerbaijan, said Czech Defense Minister Lubomir Metnar on April 9 in Yerevan at a press conference with the  head of the Armenian Defense Ministry David Tonoyan.

Metnar stated that this issue received widespread discussions and in  Czech media, however, according to him, the Czech Republic respects  and complies with both international and its own laws on arms  embargo, and fulfills license obligations for the export of  weapons."Czech weapons hit the territory of Azerbaijan through third  country. We fully complied with the commitments made and did not  supply weapons to Azerbaijan, "said the Minister of Defense, and in  this context he added that during 2016-2017, the Czech side received  applications for licenses to export howitzers and rocket launchers,  but all of them were rejected.

In conclusion, he reiterated that the Czech Republic is committed to  international commitments established, including by the OSCE, on arms  embargoes to conflicting parties, and advocates the promotion of  peaceful conflict resolution.Recall that last year information  appeared in the media about exposure of Czech journalists, according  to which, the airport in Bratislava is used to smuggle weapons to  Azerbaijan through the territory of Slovakia: rocket launchers and  howitzers are transported.According to Czech journalists, since there  is a circumstance conflict in the NKR, arms supplies to Azerbaijan  have certain limitations, which, in fact, have been violated. It is  said that the weapon is produced by the holding Czechoslovak Group,  owned by well-known businessman Jaroslav Strnad, the manufacturer of  the weapon. 

Despite the fact that this company completely denies the allegations,  after the publication of the results of a journalistic investigation,  an employee of the arms company MSM said that the old weapons were  being modernized in the Slovak city of Trencin, which was then  transferred to Israel via Israel.In 2017, a scandal broke out, due to  the presence ofthe Azerbaijani armed forces of the Czech weapons:  Dana howitzers and the Vampire rocket launchers produced by the  CzechoslovakGroup holding. Government agencies and the secret  services of the Czech Republic have begun checks in this regard.