Caught Sending Weapons To Azerbaijan, Armenia Withdraws Its Ambassador From Israel

Azerbaijani tank photo captured by Armenian Defense Ministry (Source: Antara)

JAKARTA - Armenia has withdrawn its ambassador to Israel. This was done in response to Armenia after it was discovered that Israel was sending weapons to Azerbaijan.

Azebaijan claims to have used Israeli-made weapons in the fight against ethnic Armenian forces around Nagorno-Karabakh. In the last week, the war has heated up and has invited the international world to respond to the ceasefire.

Armenian Foreign Ministry Anna Naghdalyan said "Israel's way of working is unacceptable. The ministry must bring its ambassador to Israel home." Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Ministry regrets Armenia's decision to withdraw its ambassador.

"Israel attaches great importance to our relationship with Armenia and regards the Armenian Embassy in Israel as the main means of promoting such relations in the common interest," a Foreign Ministry statement said, quoted Friday, October 2.

When asked about arms sales to Azerbaijan, the spokesman for the Israeli Ministry of Defense was silent. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which studies conflict and weaponry, revealed that Israel provided weapons worth US $ 825 (about Rp. 12.2 trillion) to Azerbaijan between 2006-2019.

The exports include drones, ammunition, anti-tank missiles and surface-to-air missile systems. All data were obtained from the SIPRI Weapons Delivery Database.

Separately, in an interview with the Walla news website on Wednesday, September 30, President Hikmat Hajiyev's aide said Azerbaijan used a "number" of Israeli-made drones in the war in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. "(We) have one of the strongest (drone) fleets in the region," he said.

"And some of them are Israeli made. We also have other 'drones'. But most of them are Israeli-made, including the attack and reconnaissance drones, and the kamikaze 'Harop' drones, (which) proved to be very powerful," said Hajiyev.