Greece risks vital ties with Azerbaijan by arming Armenia, warns Report's director

The transfer of weapons from Athens to Yerevan could lead to a cooling of relations with Azerbaijan, a key partner for Greece in ensuring energy security, Fuad Huseynaliyev, director of the Report news agency, said on CBC TV.

Huseynaliyev noted that several aspects need to be considered regarding Greece's transfer of weapons to Armenia. On the one hand, Greece is getting rid of old weaponry in its army's inventory. On the other hand, the situation may be related to the tense relations between Greece and Türkiye, Azerbaijan's ally.

"In fact, the transfer of these weapons to Armenia demonstrates that Greece is trying to support Yerevan while simultaneously disposing of outdated equipment. However, it is important to consider that Azerbaijan is a key partner for Greece in ensuring energy security. Therefore, to avoid deterioration of bilateral relations, the Greek side should think about possible retaliatory steps from Azerbaijan," Huseynaliyev emphasized.

Speaking about Armenia's weapons suppliers, Report's director also noted India, which actively sells arms to Yerevan. In his opinion, such supplies partly stem from political considerations. "India's supply of weapons to Armenia is a way of testing this weaponry. Often, without properly checking it at test sites and in real conditions, India sends so-called latest models to Armenia. This is probably done as a counterweight to Azerbaijan, given Baku's close ties with Islamabad. However, Azerbaijan has always stressed that its cooperation with any country is not directed against third states," he said.

Commenting on the overall situation in the South Caucasus, Fuad Huseynaliyev stressed that some Western countries are taking various steps to slow down the process of signing a peace treaty between Baku and Yerevan. Under such conditions, the best way out for Armenia is to conclude a peace treaty with Azerbaijan.

Earlier this week, Greek media reported that Athens plans to transfer Russian-made S-300 systems to Armenia.