Armenia should be armed: USA and France
Following Azerbaijan's counter-terrorism operation in Karabakh, tensions between Russia and Armenia are rising. Countries such as the United States (US) and France want to take advantage of the tension between the two allies to increase their influence in the region. Political figures from Washington and Paris have called for arming Yerevan.
Brad Sherman, a member of the Arizona House of Representatives, who is part of the Armenia Friendship group in the United States (US) Congress, suggested that the United States (US) should supply Armenia with appropriate defense weapons to prevent the occupation.
"It makes little sense to say that Ukraine should not lose territory to armed aggression, but the territorial integrity of the Armenians is not a US national interest. As I insisted 10 years ago, we should have armed Ukraine more before the 2014 invasion," Sherman said and expressed support for Yerevan on the example of Ukraine.
CALL FOR SANCTIONS AGAINST AZERBAIJAN
In the US Senate, Michigan Senator Gary Peters, who voiced statements in support of Sherman's statements, introduced a bill to ban security assistance to Azerbaijan.
"The Azerbaijani government has made it clear that it can and will use its military resources to carry out violent attacks against the people of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. We must pass this legislation to block additional American aid to Azerbaijan until it ends its aggression in the region," Peters said.
Last week, Peters called for the Treasury Department and the State Department to impose sanctions on certain Azerbaijani government officials.
DEFENCE AID FROM FRANCE TO ARMENIA
On the other hand, French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said that they are examining Armenia's defense needs. In an interview with Franceinfo, Lecornu said that French President Emmanuel Macron is personally following the situation in Armenia.
"The President of the Republic is personally following this issue, which is important for many French people who love Armenia or have ties with Armenia," Lecornu said.
"In any case, looking at the requests for Armenia to be able to defend itself is of course something we do," he added.
TENSIONS BETWEEN RUSSIA AND ARMENIA
Russia, which has historical ties with Armenia, has seen its influence in the Caucasus noticeably diminish in the aftermath of the ongoing and costly war in Ukraine. Azerbaijan's Nagorno Karabakh.
Moscow, which did not react to the anti-terrorist operation in Karabakh, was accused of treason by the Yerevan administration.
Many Western countries, especially the US, see the tension between the two countries as an opportunity to consolidate their power in the region where Russia's influence is declining. Despite Russia's objections, the US conducted a military exercise with the Armenian Armed Forces on Armenian territory.
Source: Newsroom
