Canada may lift arms embargo on Turkey - Armenian National Committee  of Canada sounds alarm

ArmInfo. "The Armenian National Committee of Canada expresses deep concern over recent reports suggesting that Canada may lift its arms embargo on Turkey as part of a larger deal to appease the Turkish regime in exchange for approval of Sweden's accession to NATO. This potential move is particularly troubling in light of Canada's recent history with arms exports to Turkey," the Armenian National Committee of Canada said in a statement.

The Organization believes that "Despite Global Affairs Canada  imposing a moratorium on arms sales to Turkey in October 2019, Canada  allowed the export of L3Harris/WESCAM drone technology to Ankara in  the spring of 2020. Disturbingly, substantial evidence confirmed  Turkey's illegal diversion of this equipment to Azerbaijan after  Azerbaijan invaded the Republic of Artsakh in September 2020, which  later resulted in Canada cancelling the relevant permits. This  diversion, in violation of Turkey's contractual obligations with  Canada, resulted in the illegal use of Canadian-made WESCAM drone  avionics by Azerbaijan against civilians in Artsakh.

Canada must not be complicit in Turkish-Azerbaijani war crimes by  contributing to the expansion of their military arsenals. The sale of  such weaponry to rogue states violates Canada's arms export  regulations, posing a significant risk to domestic and regional  stability. In line with Canada's stated priorities of preserving  regional peace and security and protecting human rights, Ottawa must  go beyond cancellations and implement a comprehensive ban on arms  sales to Ankara, rather than lifting them.

Moreover, Turkey has demonstrated a lack of trustworthiness in  honouring contractual agreements with Canada, as evidenced by the  illegal diversion of weapons to conflict zones. Canada cannot risk  repeating such violations, especially as Azerbaijan - backed by  Turkey - continues to threaten Armenia's sovereignty and territorial  integrity. Therefore, we urge the Canadian government to exercise  utmost caution and prioritize regional stability, peace, and human  rights by refraining from lifting the arms embargo on Turkey and  instead enforcing a comprehensive ban on arms sales to Ankara and  Baku.

The Armenian National Committee of Canada remains committed to  advocating for policies that align with Canada's principles of  promoting global peace, security, and human rights," the statement  concluded.