It has been receiving weapons from Turkey and Pakistan for years.
Baku: Azerbaijan, which has been embroiled in a long-standing conflict with Armenia, has expressed its desire to buy weapons from India. Azerbaijan has sent this message to New Delhi through a friendly country. This request of Azerbaijan is interesting because it has been receiving weapons from Turkey and Pakistan for years.
At the same time, its enemy Armenia has bought many weapons and defense systems from India. In such a situation, the shift in Azerbaijan has caught attention.
According to a report in ThePrint, the request from Azerbaijan was made through a friend. The report claims that India has ignored this message from Azerbaijan. New Delhi has made it clear to the friendly country that India will decide its bilateral relations on its own and does not want any other country to become a middleman. India has not shown interest in giving weapons to Azerbaijan.
ThePrint has quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that the Azerbaijani government did not discuss the matter directly with India. No communication has been received from Azerbaijan either officially or informally. Instead, a third country approached India and said Azerbaijan was willing to become a buyer if it wanted to sell weapons.
Armenia has turned to India in recent years to strengthen its armed forces amid its conflict with Azerbaijan. From India, it has bought rocket-launchers, artillery guns, ammunition, sniper rifles, and anti-tank missiles. For India, Armenia is not only a defence partner, but also a political partner in the region. It has been a strong supporter of India’s position on Jammu and Kashmir.
India, France and Greece are all looking to support Armenia’s security capabilities. On the contrary, Azerbaijan is considered to be part of a growing group of countries, including Turkey and Pakistan. Since 2017, Azerbaijan has focused on deepening trilateral cooperation with Turkey and Pakistan. In such a situation, India’s relations with Azerbaijan are not exactly affable.
