The Print: India has ignored Azerbaijan’s request conveyed through a ‘friendly country’ regarding weapons purchase

Amid its ongoing conflict with Armenia which has been buying several weapons and defense systems from India, Azerbaijan has via a third country indicated it wants to purchase weapons from New Delhi to balance the scales, The Print has learnt.

It is learnt that New Delhi has made it clear to the friendly country that India will decide its bilateral relations and priorities, and does not want any other country to be a middleman.

People familiar with the matter told ThePrint that Baku never directly broached the subject with New Delhi, neither officially nor unofficially.

Instead, a third country approached India, saying that if the South Asian country wanted to export its indigenous weaponry and was looking for a long-term partner, it could look towards Azerbaijan. As noted, Yerevan has in recent years turned to India to beef up its armed forces—amid its conflict with Azerbaijan—and purchased rocket-launchers, artillery guns, ammunition, sniper rifles, and anti-tank missiles.

The article says for India, Armenia has not only been a consistent defense partner, it is also viewed as a political partner in the region and has close ties with France.