We are following the events in Syria. We are following developments in Iraq. We follow the events in Ukraine. In principle, we are following events in any region that in one way or another concerns our borders. The situation is difficult. There are more and more players. The intrigue is tied, not untied.
But, digging up the facts about the countries that I mentioned, for some reason we completely forget about the country, which for us "is not a friend or an enemy, but so …" About a country that is our main competitor in the oil market of the former USSR, on the market for oil and gas supplies through the Black Sea to the EU countries. We shyly "close our eyes" to the conflict, in which, in the event of its next "fire", we will have to participate. Nobody canceled international treaties. I mean Karabakh and, accordingly, Azerbaijan.
According to numerous press reports, on September 18, 2017, at the regular exercises of the Azerbaijani army, Baku demonstrated a weapon, which, according to all international laws, it cannot have. The RM-70 MLRS (the Czechoslovak version of our BM-21 Grad) and the 152-mm self-propelled guns vz. 77 Dana were shown. According to experts, this weapon could have been upgraded by the Czech company Excalibur Army, part of the Czechoslovak Group, before delivery.
And the most interesting thing is that the appearance of this weapon in Azerbaijan came as a surprise to the Czech Republic itself. The Foreign Ministry of this country has officially announced the impossibility of such a deal! I emphasize, impossibilities! So, a deal is impossible, but Baku has weapons. How can it be? But the other side of the Karabakh conflict - our ally, Armenia, has repeatedly spoken about the appearance of such weapons in Karabakh.
We shyly plugged our ears. We tried to persuade the parties not to raise a wave. But here it is, the fact! Azerbaijan has more than one or two weapons supplied from a NATO member country. This is a bulk delivery. But, again, the Czech Republic is just hysterical about this. "Not we"!
Naturally, the question arises: why does Baku need weapons from NATO countries? After all, arms purchases have long been carried out quite officially in many countries. Even in Russia. There is no need to talk about the lack of any systems in the Azerbaijani armed forces. There is everything, and in sufficient quantity.
And here something appears that someone has known for a long time and has documents on this topic. And the majority guess. But, again, everyone was "not seen" for various reasons.
How many times, even at the level of everyday conversations, the questions of the appearance of Soviet weapons by the same terrorists from ISIS (banned in the Russian Federation) were raised? How many times have we seen Soviet systems, albeit old, in the videos of these same terrorists? Why, with the official ban on supplies, all these weapons appear "out of nowhere"?
The arms market is quite profitable. And the profit there is calculated not in tens, but in hundreds of percent of the original cost. That is why companies so often collide with each other in one or another country. Therefore, even at the level of governments and presidents, decisions are made to lobby the interests of arms companies. Money doesn't smell. Especially if they are quickly invested in new production.
Why has smuggling been around for hundreds of years? Yes, simply because the smuggled goods are several times cheaper than the officially delivered ones. Because under this scheme you can sell anything. Nobody will ask where and how you got it. The main thing is that the product is in stock, and it corresponds to the parameters that are declared.
Hence the simple question: could the arms trade with such a profit remain only in the official format? Moreover, after the collapse of the USSR and the "desertion" of some former "ours" to the camp of opponents, there are enough arsenals of Soviet weapons in the West. We have weapons and ammunition, but our own armies have either happily "died" or have switched over to NATO weapons.
For some countries, the "black" arms trade has become a source of income. Someone does this of their own free will. Someone was "advised by the elder brother" so as not to "shine" themselves. However, the arms supply channels are known to everyone who wants to know.
Where do weapons come from in Syria? Partly, only partly, from Iraq. But weapons tend to deteriorate with heavy use. Especially in the war. Moreover, in such extreme conditions as in Syria. But the militants are well armed. Moreover, many remember the jihad declared to Ukraine for the defective submachine guns supplied. For defective!..
How is Azerbaijan connected with this? How is the Czech armament connected with this? In order not to be suspected of deceiving readers (and such an accusation you will surely lament below), I will refer to materials that have been published in the Western press. In particular, in the Bulgarian edition "Trud". It was there that the investigation was carried out. A group of hackers operating under the name Anonymous Bulgaria handed over documents to journalist Dilyana Gaitandzhieva. And she, in turn, made these documents public. The documents concern not only Azerbaijan, but also many other countries. The list is quite extensive: many European countries, the USA, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates …
So, according to the submitted documents, the Azerbaijani state-owned airline Silk Way Airlines actively worked with private companies and enterprises producing weapons to organize the delivery of their products to customers on diplomatic flights.
Moreover, the company guaranteed the delivery of weapons by civilian aircraft. First, it "masked" the delivery itself. Secondly, a civilian plane with diplomatic cargo is not subject to inspection. It is enough just to get permission from the country's aviation regulator. The publication Trud refers to Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Turkey, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, etc.
If, for some reason, the civilian state airline could not perform the flight, then the customers were provided with guarantees for the delivery of cargo of the Azerbaijani Air Force.
Now some readers will demand examples of such supplies. Words are one thing, but real deliveries are another. I will not reinvent the wheel. Again, an example from the Western press.
"In 2016 and 2017, Silk Way Airlines made 23 diplomatic flights to Jeddah and Riyadh. The customers were arms suppliers and manufacturers - VMZ and Transmobile from Bulgaria, Yugoimport from Serbia and CIHAZ from Azerbaijan. As you know, Saudi Arabia does not use weapons. NATO standards, and delivers it to the pro-Saudi forces in Yemen and the jihadists in Syria."
In the overwhelming majority of cases, you can always refer to a private initiative. The state seems to have nothing to do with it. But how does another fact relate to this? This state airline operates a flight …
During the capture of Mosul, the Iraqi army captured several warehouses with weapons. Warehouses are exactly ISIS (banned in the Russian Federation). Among other things, anti-tank missiles were found there. But, according to competent sources, it was these missiles that were transported by diplomatic flights on April 28 and May 12 along the Burgas-Jeddah-Brazzaville route. And for some reason it so happened that in the Congo and Saudi Arabia the planes stood for 12-14 hours … Non-flying weather?..
Now let's get back to the beginning of the article. To the conflict in Karabakh. There is one "quirk" there, which for a long time haunted many journalists. Last year, during another aggravation of the situation in Karabakh, Azerbaijan announced the use of ammunition by Armenia with banned white phosphorus. An unexploded missile was shown, which was indeed equipped with a warhead with this substance.
It seems that this is a great reason to "stir up" the brain of the international community. But the wave of accusations for some reason quickly subsided. Such an information "tsunami". Alone, all alone. What is the reason for the absence of the following?
It turned out, judging by the documents from the Azerbaijani Embassy in Bulgaria, that such missiles were delivered to Azerbaijan in 2015. And they were produced in Serbia! And it is quite difficult to "glue" the manufacturer and Armenia into one heap. That's why they "forgot" about the rocket …
But the question remains about the appearance of Czech self-propelled guns and MLRS. I repeat, the Czech Foreign Ministry categorically denies the existence of a contract with Baku for the supply of these weapons. And Baku, in turn, demonstrates these systems in exercises. This is where my colleagues from the IA REGNUM come to help me (https://regnum.ru/news/polit/2324563.html).
"In 2017, there were at least 5 flights on the route Nis (Serbia) - Ovda (Israel) - Nasosny (Azerbaijan). It is here that the RM-70 MLRS and unnamed ACS (presumably the same Dana) appear in the list. In this case, Azerbaijan bought for itself, not the Middle East militants. Officially, the customers were the Israeli company Elbit Systems and the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, so it is unlikely that it will be possible to "get out" from the Czech Republic's supplies, especially since Baku has openly demonstrated all these weapons."
The arms market has always been and will remain highly profitable for a long time to come. Any country is always looking for new ways to replenish its own budget. These two postulates, alas, often make some kind of monsters out of quite adequate people. When the glitter of gold obscures the eyes and turns a person into a slave to a piece of metal. For the sake of this metal, one does not feel sorry for other people's lives. Do not mind your own honor. I don’t even feel sorry for the honor of our own state.
I understand that governing such a large country like Azerbaijan is a complicated process. For me, for example, it's just too heavy. But I also understand that evil always comes back. Returns to the one who nurtured him, who cherished him, who sent him to another.
The undercover games being played today by the countries of the second, third and other divisions of world politics are not a secret for the leading powers. They are just another trump card in the deck. A trump card that will be revealed when there is a real need for such a move. This also applies to European countries and Azerbaijan.
So why is this done? Money smells … Especially if this money is for other people's lives, for other people's children, old people, women … Oh, how it smells … And this smell is remembered for a lifetime … Like a cadaverous …
