Monday, September 29 2014

 Russia's only goal is to avoid a new war in Nagorno-Karabakh, Head of the Caucasus Department of the CIS Institute Sergey Mikheyev said during a Yerevan-Moscow TV link-up on Monday.

He said that both Armenia and Azerbaijan urge Russia to sever contacts with the opposite side and to develop ties with them only. 
"We cannot do this as this may cause instability in the region. The point here is that in order to guarantee peace in the region, Russia has to keep balance between the parties," Mikheyev said.

Director of the Public Political Studies Center Vladimir Yevseyev said that if Russia stops selling arms to Azerbaijan, Israel, the US or somebody else will start doing it. "So, Armenia should be interested in Azerbaijan's buying arms from Russia as the Russians know their arms and will be able to help the Armenians with 'antidotes' if need be.  There is no evil design in these supplies. Russia is not going to abandon Armenia. All it wants is just peace in the region," Yevseyev said.

It was reported on 26 May that Russia planned to supply another ordered lot of 6 TOS-1A heavy flamethrower systems. According to Uralvagonzavod plant, under a contract with Azerbaijan, that country will receive 18 items of TOS-1A "Solntsegorsk." Last year, Russian supplied the first lot of 6 systems. In addition, on 23 May, Konstantin Byrulin, Deputy Head of the Federal Services for Military-Technical Cooperation of Russia, said Azerbaijan has already received 100 tanks T-90C and another 100 tanks may be delivered to Baku later, along with helicopters Mi-171 and Mi-35, armored vehicles, light weapons, and mortar howitzers.