Baku court reveals Armenia’s role in supplying weapons to self-styled regime in Karabakh Mnatsakanyan testifies / UPDATED/ PHOTO

In ongoing court proceedings at the Baku Military Court, Levon Mnatsakanyan, an accused individual, testified that Armenia’s Ministry of Defense played a direct role in supplying weapons and ammunition to the self-styled regime's military forces. 

Mnatsakanyan, who served as the so-called “defence minister” and “commander” of the self-styled regime's military, admitted that decisions related to senior military appointments were made in Armenia, Caliber.Az reports, citing Azertag.

Mnatsakanyan disclosed that appointments to positions above the rank of lieutenant colonel within the so-called regime's “army” were made by the Chief of Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces, the Minister of Defence, and the President of Armenia. "As the ‘commander’ of the ‘army,’ I was authorized to appoint positions up to the rank of major and grant ranks up to the rank of major," he stated during the proceedings.

Further, the accused revealed that Armenia's Ministry of Defence handled the financial matters of the so-called military and ensured the provision of weapons and ammunition. “We had a supply service. The supply service received them, and then they were distributed to each unit. In other words, the weapons and ammunition were fully supplied by the Ministry of Defence of Armenia,” Mnatsakanyan explained.

In the same court session, Mnatsakanyan also revealed that in June 2015, he was appointed to his position by then-President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan. He described the appointment process, explaining that Armenia's Minister of Defence, Seyran Ohanyan, presented his candidacy for the position, which was later approved by Sargsyan.

“The President told me that this was a very important position,” Mnatsakanyan recalled. While the self-styled regime claimed that Mnatsakanyan’s appointment came from Bako Sahakyan, the then self-declared “president” of the so-called regime, Mnatsakanyan’s testimony highlights the significant influence of Armenian leadership over the self-styled regime's military structure.

Mnatsakanyan also testified that Armenia sent 7,000-8,000 conscripts annually to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan for compulsory military service.

He explained that military conscription occurred twice a year, with 3,500-4,000 Armenian citizens being sent to the occupied regions during each conscription. “About 70 per cent of those serving in the so-called regime's ‘army’ were Armenian citizens, while the remaining 30 per cent were Armenians living in Karabakh,” Mnatsakanyan stated. He emphasized that no distinction was made between the two groups, with all conscripts subordinated to the same command and wearing the same military uniform.

Furthermore, Mnatsakanyan testified that there were no Iskander-M, Tochka-U, or Smerch weapons in the formerly occupied territories of Azerbaijan. He clarified that neither during his tenure as “defence minister” of the illegal regime, nor before or after that, had he seen these weapons in the occupied territories.

Mnatsakanyan also stated that the investigation into war crimes committed by Armenian citizens and residents who served in the occupied territories was carried out by Armenia's military police, with the preliminary investigation conducted by the country's military prosecutor's office. He testified that criminal cases were further examined in the Syunik Military Court in Armenia. Furthermore, he emphasized that, given the uniformity of the military structure, war crimes committed by servicemen in the occupied territories were treated as equivalent to crimes committed on Armenian territory.

Mnatsakanyan's testimony forms part of a broader case against Armenian citizens accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other serious offences. These charges stem from Armenia’s military aggression, which has led to widespread violations of international law, including the preparation and conduct of aggressive warfare, genocide, and terrorism.

The trial is ongoing, with further proceedings expected in the coming weeks. The case has brought to light the significant involvement of Armenia in supporting the illegal military activities of the self-declared regime and continues to shed new light on the scale of Armenia’s role in the region’s instability.

By Vugar Khalilov