YEREVAN. – The Armenian side cannot have any effect on Russia’s policy of selling weapons to Azerbaijan. 

Lyudmila Sargsyan, a member of the opposition Armenian National Congress National Assembly Faction, stated the aforementioned at a press conference on Thursday.

“If we can’t have a bearing on something, there is no need to focus on it,” added the MP. “We have a great potential to manufacture weapons in Armenia. So, the Armenian side should work in this direction.”

As per Sargsyan, if Russia considers Azerbaijan a friend, the Armenian side cannot do anything about it.

Former MP Azat Arshakyan, however, expressed a conviction that the Armenian side can make its voice heard, have a military industry, and manufacture competitive weapons. But in his view, the first respective precondition is to have a political power in Armenia.

“We need to work as a state for which own interests are a priority,” added Arshakyan. “But the CSTO [i.e. the Collective Security Treaty Organization] does not meet our interests.”

As per the ex-lawmaker, Russia does not consider Armenia a full partner, and it has commitments to and agreements with Azerbaijan.