The report of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon “Conventional arms control at the regional and subregional levels” was circulated at the United Nations on Monday. The report mentioned violations of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe by Azerbaijan.

“The Treaty’s fundamental role and significance has grown, especially in the South Caucasus region where, unfortunately, Azerbaijan has unleashed a decidedly dangerous race of armaments. 

 According to official information on implementation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, as of 1 January 2012, Azerbaijan  significantly exceeded its established ceilings in three categories of Treaty-limited equipment. The Azerbaijani holdings in battle tanks were 381 (permitted ceiling is 220) and in artillery are 516 (permitted ceiling is 285). In 2011 there was a sizeable increase of holdings in artillery (47) as well as in the categories of attack helicopters (3 to 5) and armoured combat vehicles (106).

Unfortunately Azerbaijan failed to reflect the exceeding of its ceiling of armoured combat vehicles — 287 against 220 — permitted by the Treaty. 

The manifold increase of Azerbaijan’s military budget over the last years (the defence budget for 2012 is $3.47 billion) and  the persistent aggressive and harsh anti-Armenian rhetoric of the Azerbaijani leadership also increase the gap between the two nations, heighten the tension in the region of the South Caucasus and seriously undermine the negotiation process aimed at the peaceful settlement of existing problems, particularly the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The negligent position of Azerbaijan in this regard has a very negative impact on the efforts of Armenia to promote an atmosphere of trust and cooperation in the region.”

The report was issued based on the documents presented by the UN member states, including those presented by Armenia.