Why does UK lift arms embargo on Armenia and Azerbaijan?

Recently, the United Kingdom announced that it is lifting the arms embargo on Armenia and Azerbaijan. Vasily Egorov, admin of the Westminster Telegram channel and an expert on British politics, told Izvestia that London is undoubtedly planning to expand its own arms production. According to him, the South Caucasus market provides the UK with an opportunity to boost its GDP and surpass its European allies, including France and Germany.

“Like the rest of Europe, the UK is trying to increase its weapons production. In London, progress is slightly slower than in Germany or France, but there are still certain programs in place, perhaps not for heavy weapons or tanks, but for artillery or other types of munitions. Ultimately, the UK plans to allocate 2.5% of its GDP to defense, and naturally, the arms market is a key part of this,” the expert said.
The current situation works in London’s favor by helping push Moscow out of the South Caucasus arms market. According to Egorov, the British embargo since 1992 has not prevented London from influencing the political affairs of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Military expert Boris Dzherelievsky told the publication that there are no large stockpiles of weapons in the UK that the state can freely supply to Armenia and Azerbaijan. While South Caucasus countries might be interested in Storm Shadow (SCALP-EG) cruise missiles or modern armored vehicles, all such stockpiles have already been transferred to Ukraine.

“I think this is precisely what matters to the British: under the pretext of strengthening military-technical cooperation, they can ensure the constant presence of their specialists—effectively intelligence personnel—in both Azerbaijan and Armenia. Regarding Azerbaijan, they recently signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the UK. Overall, there are quite close ties, including between the intelligence services of Baku and London. Yerevan has somewhat stepped back, but I think they are now trying to make up for it. There is a certain escalation in the South Caucasus, and the outcome is likely to be the same—a new outbreak of violence,” the expert concluded.