Medvedev: the supply of arms to Yerevan and Baku are inevitable – BBC Russian

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Image caption Weapons, according to Medvedev, is to be deterrent

If Russia will cease to supply Armenia and Azerbaijan adopted, it will be replaced with other countries, said Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

“If we imagine imagine for a moment that Russia abandoned this role – we are well aware:. this place is empty does not will buy weapons to other countries, the degree of lethality of this does not decrease “, – Medvedev said in an interview with the program” Vesti on Saturday ” Sergei Brilev on the channel “Russia 1″ (RTR).

According to Medvedev, there is no certainty that the “arrival on the market of suppliers of weapons from other countries will ease the situation.” He expressed the view that the situation “is likely to become more difficult”.

“I think that weapons can and must be purchased not only for his once-used, but in order to it was a deterrent, and that this point needs to be assessed to all parties to the conflict “, – said Medvedev

on the eve of the continuation of supply for both countries in accordance with the contract as a strategic partner said Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin

Azerbaijan is a major importer of Russian weapons.

during the period from 2010 to 2014 Moscow and Baku signed a number of contracts for the supply of helicopters, anti-aircraft missile systems, armored equipment and artillery weapons worth about 4 billion dollars.

Armenia in 2013 bought Russian weapons for 16 million dollars, the first time heavy weapons were delivered. there were no shipments in 2014.

Statement by the Prime Medvedev come amid continuing recriminations of Azerbaijani and Armenian parties in violation of the truce signed on April 5.

Then the military action on the contact line of Azerbaijani and Karabakh forces have been stopped, but soon after that, the parties began to accuse each other of violating the truce.

The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh escalated in the night of April 2 and escalated into armed clashes that parties to the conflict called the most ambitious in the past ’22.