Bako Sahakyan admits weapons, military funding supplied to Karabakh from Armenia UPDATED

Former so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh" leader Bako Sahakyan has admitted that weapons and ammunition were supplied to Karabakh directly from Armenia.

His statement came during the ongoing trial at the Baku Military Court, where he faces multiple charges related to war crimes and crimes against humanity, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

During the hearing, Sahakyan answered questions from prosecutors, confirming that all military expenses in the formerly occupied Azerbaijani territories were covered by Armenia’s state budget.

"The ‘budget’ and ‘army’ of ‘Nagorno-Karabakh’ had no such expenses. All military expenditures, including salaries and provisions for soldiers, were directly financed by Armenia’s budget. This had nothing to do with the 'credits' allocated to us," Sahakyan stated.

In addition, Sahakyan admitted that the self-styled "Nagorno-Karabakh" "army" was directly subordinated to the Armenian Armed Forces, making it the largest armed formation within the Armenian military.

He also revealed that key military appointments, such as the "Minister of Defense" and "Chief of the General Staff" of the self-styled regime, were made based on proposals from the Armenian Ministry of Defense and carried out by the president of Armenia. He emphasized that he had no involvement in these decisions, adding, "We did not hide this."

The defendant admitted that all matters related to the division and management of the self-styled regime's "military institutions" were handled by the Republic of Armenia.

His admission provides further evidence of Armenia’s direct military and financial involvement in the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, contradicting past Armenian claims that "Nagorno-Karabakh" operated independently.

During the hearing on March 14, Sahakyan also responded to questions about the use of destructive weapons in the occupied territories, including the "Iskander-M," "Tochka-U," and other artillery systems. He categorically denied the presence of such weapons in the occupied areas, stating, "These weapons were not present in the Karabakh region. During my tenure as 'president' (2007-2020), I can say with certainty that these weapons were never brought to Karabakh."

He further explained that while the so-called "leader" of the “defense bodies” was not obligated to report to the so-called "president" of the self-proclaimed regime, the significance of such weapons would have necessitated a report. "If these weapons had been provided to us, the 'army commander' would have had to inform me about it," Sahakyan added.

In response to questions about the use of these weapons in attacks on Azerbaijani civilian objects, Sahakyan stated: "I can say that the artillery fire did not come from the territory of Karabakh."

Additionally, Sahakyan revealed that during the period when Azerbaijani territories were under occupation, products produced in the Karabakh region were sold to foreign countries under the name "Armenian products."

"The products were sold under the name of Armenian company products," Sahakyan said, acknowledging the commercial practices during the occupation.

Sahakyan also mentioned that Armenian citizens were able to purchase real estate in Karabakh during the occupation, and Armenian residents of the so-called "republic" could acquire properties in Armenia with the status of citizens of that country. He emphasized that for them, Armenia was not considered a foreign country.

The trial is part of Azerbaijan’s broader legal process against Armenian citizens accused of crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, preparation and conduct of an aggressive war, genocide, violations of the laws and customs of war, terrorism, financing of terrorism, and the violent seizure and retention of power.

The proceedings continue at the Baku Military Court.