RF Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov neither confirmed nor refuted the rumors about the sale of S-300 systems to Azerbaijan.

“Russia will never supply weapons to any region if it destabilizes the situation in the region,” Minister Lavrov stated in his interview with the Armenian Public Television.

He proposed looking into the “main point”. “The main point is that it is defensive weapons supplied in strict conformity with international agreements. I would not look for a destabilizing factor here,” Lavrov said.

The S-300 air defense systems have become “a symbol of something alarming.” “Once an announcement is made about a country receiving S-300, panic statements about destabilization are made. It is the case with Azerbaijan, it was so in the case of Iran and it is so in the case of other countries now. But let us not forget what S-300 really is: they are defensive weapons designed to defend from external missile attacks. That’s all,” Lavrov said.

“I would not see any arguments that the situation may destabilize. Defensive weapons do not destabilize the situation with the only exception: if anyone wants to use force, defensive weapons may create problems for them. I am sure that none of the states in the region in question plans to launch new military operations, as it would be a disaster. The aggressor will not achieve his aims – we were convinced of that in August 2008, when our neighbor, Mr. Saakashvili decided to settle the South Ossetian problem applying methods unacceptable from the point of view of international law. I am one hundred per cent sure that Armenia and Azerbaijan will not make such attempts. I participated in President Medvedev’s meetings with Presidents Sargsyan and Aliev. All the three Presidents put their signatures to the documents that prohibit the use of force and underline the commitment to peaceful settlement of any problems in the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process,” Lavrov said.

NEWS.am reminds readers that the Russia-based Vedomosti newspaper, referring to a source in the Russian defense industry, reported that Russian planned to supply S-300 systems to Azerbaijan. The newspaper pointed out that the supply was unlikely to change the balance of forces, as neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan had striking aviation or ballistic missiles. The more likely reason is Azerbaijan’s desire to secure itself against problems should the Iran-related situation get worse.