Russian political scientist: Russia`s supply of weapons to Azerbaijan  negatively affects the resolution of the Karabakh conflict and the  negotiation process

ArmInfo. In my opinion, Russia's supply of arms to Azerbaijan negatively affects the resolution of the Karabakh conflict and the negotiation process, the president of the International Union of Experts Alexander Gusev is convinced.

Russia along with the United States and France since 1992 as part of the OSCE Minsk Group is engaged in a peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict. Currently, the settlement process is based on the Madrid Principles put forward by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in 2007 and updated in 2009, among other things, providing for the deployment of a peacekeeping contingent in the conflict zone.

"In my opinion, any arms deliveries to Azerbaijan give Baku a serious argument for pressure on Yerevan, since in the conditions of the unresolved Karabakh conflict, the sale of weapons to Azerbaijan implies the possibility of its real use." Each supply of new weapons negatively affects the negotiation process, since the very fact of armament of Azerbaijan in the course of Negotiation process is an attempt to pressure the other side," the expert said.

Since 2010, Russia has supplied offensive weapons to Azerbaijan worth $ 10 billion. According to the report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) only in 2010-2014 the volume of imports of weapons to Azerbaijan in comparison with 2005-2009 increased by 249%. Only in 2015 Baku allocated 18% for military articles - up to $ 5 billion of all budgetary appropriations. 85% of weapons Azerbaijan continues to import from Russia.