India soon provides weapons to Armenia to punish Azerbaijan and Türkiye, and Pakistan may be pushed into a difficult position…
Akash is not the only weapon sold to the Caucasian country Armenia. From howitzers to anti-tank rockets to anti-number equipment, there are all kinds of weapons.
Surface-to-Indian Missile Akash (representative image)
In what might be called a strategic move, keeping in mind the ever-changing geopolitical ground reality, India will soon provide Armenia with the surface-to-air missile system Akash-1, which the treaty was signed in 2022. But Akash is not the only weapon sold to the Caucasus nation in New Delhi; there are all kinds of weapons, from howitzers to anti-tank rockets to anti-number equipment. India may soon replace Russia as Erivan’s largest arms supplier. It is important that Azerbaijan chooses to support Pakistan after the recent India-Pakistan upgrade.
New Delhi’s decision to engage with Armenia was not just a response to the Türkiye-Ashe-China ties, but a foothold in the Caucasus region that never existed in India.
India-Amenia Defense Cooperation
In 2020, after Yerevan signed a defense agreement with India, it placed orders for 15 Akash missile systems for $720 million in 2022, becoming the first foreign buyer of the system. Developed by public sector unit Bharat Dynamics Limited, this integrated missile system protects against the threat of fighter jets, missiles and drones. New Delhi will also sell the Pinaka multiple rocket system to Armenia. Military cooperation between the two countries continues, with the former Soviet Republic becoming India’s largest arms importer.
The two countries signed more defense deals in 2023, with India providing multiple launch rocket systems, anti-tank rockets and ammunition to the South Caucasus countries. Yerevan deployed military weapons in 2023 to coordinate existing defense plans between the two countries.
Russia provides weapons to Armenia
Russia was Armenia’s largest arms supplier from 2011 to 2020. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Russia sold Armenia Iskander short-range ballistic mistakes with an estimated range of 300 kilometers in 2016 and four Su-30SM combat aircraft in 2019. However, Yerevan did not openly support Moscow in its war against Ukraine, and Russia stopped supplying more arms.
Did the Pakistani army fight Armenia?
But the Indian-Aminia relationship is more than just arms sales. It deepened further in 2020 when Nagorno-Karabakh’s Azerbaijan enclave erupted again. To be synchronized with Türkiye, Pakistan supports Azerbaijan. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan claimed that Pakistani forces were fighting Armenia and working with the Azerbaijani army in Karabakh. Islamabad rejected the charge, saying it was unfounded.
(Nagorno-Karabakh conflict)
In early 2017, Pakistan signed a trilateral treaty with Türkiye and Azerbaijan. After supporting Azerbaijan in the 2020 Karabakh War, Pakistan also joined Ankara and Baku, announcing the Triangle Islamabad Declaration in 2021 to show the statement with Azerbaijan.
Will Armenia be close to India?
The recent Indian-Pakistan conflict in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attacks has further deepened the fault line. India is reaching a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). On the other hand, Pakistan may be closer to Türkiye to claim its position better in the politics of the Islamic world. This could further drive Armenia from Pakistan. The front is drawn.
