Official Washington on Arms Supplies to Armenia

Official Washington has responded to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's accusations regarding arms supplies to Armenia. Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the State Department, told ‘Azatutyun’ that the United States' security assistance to both Armenia and Azerbaijan is aimed at strengthening cooperation with U.S. and NATO forces to enhance military professionalism, as well as to reinforce the border between the two countries and Iran.

In his recent interview with Russian state television, Aliyev claimed that France is leading the way in supplying weapons to Armenia, followed by India and then the United States. “France and India do not hide the fact that they are supplying lethal weapons to Armenia; the U.S. does not admit it, but we have tracked (American) military transport planes that landed at Armenian airports and delivered munitions,” Aliyev stated.

Neither Yerevan nor Washington has ever declared the supply of munitions. What type of munitions is Aliyev referring to, and does his claim correspond to reality? The State Department spokesperson did not directly answer this question, only noting: “The United States calibrates its security assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan to ensure that it is not available for offensive purposes and does not undermine or obstruct ongoing efforts towards a sustainable and dignified peace.”

Miller also emphasized that the United States supports ongoing contacts between Armenia and Azerbaijan aimed at working towards the peaceful resolution of the conflict.