Following the Second Karabakh War, India embarked on an active cooperation with Armenia, primarily in the military sphere, in which Yerevan is strongly interested in taking revenge for the defeat in November 2020. New Delhi, in its turn, is worried about the Azerbaijan -Pakistani Brotherhood.
As reported earlier, India and Armenia signed military agreements in September. As part of the deal, New Delhi will supply $250 million worth of anti-tank missiles and other munitions to Yerevan. Recently, the Indian media reported that the Indian private company Kalyani Strategic Systems Ltd (Bharat Forge) received its first export order for the supply of a batch of towed 155-mm howitzers (ATAGS). According to the report, a contract worth $155 million was inked with Armenia. Despite the fact that Bharat Forge did not indicate the buyer, Indian media sources in the country's Ministry of Defense confirmed that it was Armenia.
According to the information, Armenia considers the purchase of 4-5 artillery battalions. And in each division - 18-20 howitzers. More and more often in the Indian media there are reports of the supply of Indian weapons to Armenia, and, most likely, this is still the visible part of the iceberg. What about those military deals that haven't been made public yet? Obviously,India uses Armenia as a bargaining chip, and Iran also has an active part in this game. However, we will not talk about it. Our focus is Armenian-Indian relations. What does India have in mind regarding the South Caucasus region? Why is New Delhi arming Armenia so hard? Why is it in such a hurry? What is Pakistan ready to offer Azerbaijan in response to the Indian-Armenian military deal?
Pakistani analysts and experts answered those questions in their interviews with Vzglyad.az.
Former Director of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (1993-1995), Lieutenant General Javed Ashraf Qazi said:
“India has long supported good relations with Armenia. Indian authorities continue to look for markets to sell their weapons. The US can finance this purchase for Armenia. India is desperate to sell its defence equipment but is unable to find a purchaser due to competition with China.
Speaking of Azerbaijan-Pakistan relations, we have already offered Azerbaijan a range of military products we produce. The only exception is our nuclear and missile programs. Some artillery equipment and ammunition were supplied to Azerbaijan.”
Pakistani political scientist, editor-in-chief of the Dispatch News Desk (DND) Agha Iqrar Haroon stated:
“It is true that India arms Armenia. India wants to penetrate the Eastern European market in order to sell its military equipment. I believe that India wants to become the second largest supplier of military equipment after Russia in the entire post-Soviet space.
Pakistan and Azerbaijan agreed on the supply of military products. Pakistan leads in the production of JF- 17 Thunder type aircraft. Apart from that, Pakistan is considered the best manufacturer of canonical bullets, etc.”
Pakistani political scientist Muhammad, Director of the Institute for Peace and Diplomatic Studies Asif Nur said:
Behind the military agreements between India and Armenia is New Delhi's desire to balance the trilateral cooperation between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Pakistan in the South Caucasus region. After the defeat in the Second Karabakh War, Armenia faced humiliation and isolation at the regional and global levels. The military-political establishment of Armenia, with the active support of the Armenian diaspora, which has strong ties with the Indian military-industrial complex, intends to actively enhance cooperation with the Indian authorities. In September 2019, the Prime Minister of Armenia met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New York. And these were the first meetings of such a high level between the two states over the recent years.
Pakistan and Azerbaijan have two important issues: Kashmir and Karabakh, where India and Armenia are the aggressors. Turkey and Azerbaijan supported Pakistan in the Kashmir issue, and Turkey actively supported Azerbaijan. As a result of close defence cooperation between Pakistan and Turkey, Azerbaijan was able to repress Armenia in the region. To counter the Azerbaijani-Pakistani-Turkish alliance, India supports Armenia in the field of security.
If we take a closer look, we can see the vacuum created by the absence of Russia as a supplier of weapons in the global and regional markets. And India in the South Caucasus places its stake on the game with Armenia. New Delhi sees this region as a place, where its military-industrial complex can gain the opportunity to export and affect regional political and economic centers.
In response to the military cooperation between Armenia and India, Pakistan offers closer military cooperation to Azerbaijan. Our countries can create joint defense enterprises for the production of high-tech weapons.”
Pakistani politician Shazia Anwer Cheema noted:
“Armenia commits war crimes and India seeks to become its partner. India's disgusting desire to be part of Armenia's criminal army is a deadly combination. In my view, India is doing this on purpose, as Azerbaijan has always supported Pakistan in the Kashmir issue, as well as in other issues. On the other hand, India is striving to occupy its niche in the arms market in the post-Soviet market, where Russia has always played a dominant role.
Pakistan and Azerbaijan have always cooperated in the field of defense. In June, 2022, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov and Chief of Air Staff of Pakistan Air Force Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu discussed military, military-technical and military-educational cooperation. That meeting opens up new opportunities to further strengthen military ties between the two states. If India continues the war, Azerbaijan is not alone. Pakistan will always be next to Azerbaijan.”
Samir Valiyev and Murad Nadjafov
