On the evening of 12 August, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the hostilities in the Tovuz area on July 12-16.
According to the press service of the Azerbaijani President, Aliyev informed Putin of the casualties Azerbaijan suffered during the border conflict, as well as noting that the key purpose of Armenia’s military attack was to involve third parties in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.
He also told Putin that the intensity in the delivery of military cargo from Russia to Armenia after the end of the clashes on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border – from 17 July to the present time – raised concern and serious questions among the Azerbaijani public. He also said the volume of the military cargo transported from Russia to Armenia via the air space of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran immediately after the military clashes on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border to date exceeded 400 tons, emphasizing that the main purpose of the phone call was to clarify this issue.
On the other hand, the press service of Russia’s President was more formal on the contents of the call. “Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev discussed topical matters on the bilateral agenda, reaffirming their mutual commitment to further strengthening the partnership between Russia and Azerbaijan in all spheres. Ilham Aliyev congratulated Vladimir Putin on the approval of a Russian coronavirus vaccine. The two leaders exchanged views on regional matters in the context of the July escalation on the state border between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Russia stressed the importance of preventing any actions that could ratchet up tensions,” read the statement from the Russian side.
Aliyev’s call came after the Azerbaijani media reported the details of how the weapons were delivered to Armenia. According to available data, there were seven flights: 2 flights - on 17 July, at the height of the fighting, one flight on each of the following days - 18, 20, 27, 29 July and 4 August. A Russian Il-76 flew in a roundabout way - along the route Rostov - Minvody - Aktau-Turkmenbashi - Nowsher - Rasht - Meghri - Yerevan. The length of this route is over 2000 km, the travel time was 3 hours 30 minutes,” stood in the original publication from minval.az from 8 August.
“Russia sent military equipment to Armenia, and very specifically, just at the time when battles were going on in the Tovuz direction. More precisely, when the Armenian attack in the Tovuz direction began to choke, and the former bravura-victorious moods were replaced by a distinct panic,” the article emphasized. “There was no information about loans, negotiations, preparation of contracts, etc. And this is a sure sign that everything was decided in a fire order. And yes, it was not about a couple of "units", but about seven military transport aircraft. This clearly indicates a very high level of decision-making,” it further read.
Fazil Mustapha, a deputy in Azerbaijan’s parliament vocally expressed his discontent with Russia’s gesture and suggested that Azerbaijan should pursue a different foreign policy. “It is still widely believed in Azerbaijan that it is important to act with the blessing of Russia to liberate the occupied territories. However, the events in Tovuz once again showed that we will not receive blessings from Russia. Therefore, Azerbaijan should think about the highest form of an alliance with the United States and the European Union. The face of ‘fraternal’ Russia after the Tovuz provocation openly turns into the face of the enemy. Let us not be fooled by the friendly smiles of diplomacy, we must try to resist this enemy with the power of a great ally or allies. When the fate of our nation is at stake, we have nowhere to retreat,” he wrote on Facebook.
