US Ambassador Libby vs. Caliber.Az: The “nonsense” turns out to be true

The story of the diplomatic "formalization" of American arms shipments to Armenia has taken a new turn today. Recently, during the program "In Focus" on ITV, US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mark Libby avoided answering a question from the host about materials from Caliber.Az, which discussed these shipments and included photographic evidence of two US Air Force planes landing at Yerevan's Zvartnots Airport in early August this year, along with their precise flight paths. Furthermore, Libby dismissed our information as "nonsense."

In our response, we highlighted the inappropriateness of such insulting treatment, especially in the absence of any evidence to the contrary. The editorial demanded an apology from the ambassador and a clear answer to the question: for what purpose did US Air Force cargo planes land at Zvartnots Airport on August 2 and 3, 2024?

Today, the US Embassy, apparently aiming to "downplay" the issue, told the news agency Report that the United States "did not supply lethal weapons to Yerevan either directly or through third parties," adding that "stability in the region and achieving sustainable peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia is of great importance for the US."

This appears to be the ambassador's response, seemingly conveyed through the embassy's press service. Unfortunately, this response only exacerbates the already tense situation.

Firstly, it contradicts Ambassador Libby's own statement made during the interview.

Here is his statement:

"Caliber's report is nonsense. It's all fabricated, and I completely refute it. The US Embassy in Armenia has also stated that this is a fabrication. Unfortunately, due to certain objectives, which I can only speculate about, there are those who want to create discord and intentionally complicate Azerbaijani-Armenian relations, and Caliber is among them. I categorically refute their information."

Let's compare this response with an excerpt from our original material.

"Next-generation weapons produced in the US were delivered to the Armenian Armed Forces: sniper rifles, night vision devices, special communication equipment, bulletproof vests for Armenian special forces, strike mini-drones, small-sized mines used by the US Army, and other ammunition," wrote Caliber.Az.

So, our report did not focus exclusively on lethal or non-lethal weapons but included both types (and we stand by the accuracy of our information). By stating that he categorically refutes our report, the ambassador is effectively rejecting the arrival of any weapons in Armenia and the landing of US military aircraft at Yerevan's Zvartnots Airport on August 2 and 3.

Thus, the ambassador's statement suggested that the US did not supply any weapons to Armenia.

However, the embassy's current statement implies that while the weapons were characterized as non-lethal, they were indeed supplied. Moreover, the fact of the US Air Force planes landing was not refuted, and no clarifications were made regarding the dates of their arrival at Yerevan's airport.

Mr. Ambassador, does this mean that the data from Caliber.Az is not "nonsense"? We will address this question further below.

The question of what constitutes non-lethal weaponry deserves separate attention. Hypothetically, let's assume that rifles, drones, and mines from the list provided above were not delivered. What about the rest of the equipment that the embassy categorizes as non-lethal? Are night vision devices and modern scopes not part of the equipment that could be used to harm Azerbaijani soldiers? Or are new types of bulletproof vests, special communication equipment, reconnaissance, and surveillance devices truly only intended for maintaining peace?

Intelligence and Surveillance: These modern American devices can be used by the Armenian Armed Forces to gather information on Azerbaijani troop movements, strategic locations, and to intercept communications. The collected data could be used for planning future attacks or provocations.

New Types of Bulletproof Vests: Enhanced protection may give Armenian soldiers increased confidence and motivation to engage in more aggressive actions along the front line, including provocative incursions or attacks on Azerbaijani positions.

New Scopes: Advanced optical systems can significantly improve the accuracy of Armenian forces' shooting, which could pose serious threats to both Azerbaijani military personnel and infrastructure, increasing the risk of casualties.

Special Communication Equipment: Effective communication tools will enable Armenian units to better coordinate their actions, particularly during sudden attacks and provocations.

On one hand, we welcome the embassy's progress in providing some specificity on the issue at hand. On the other hand, the sharpness of the questions raised still requires more detailed responses. The minimal increase in the substantive content of the embassy’s answers only seems to heighten suspicion regarding the nature and extent of US-Armenian military cooperation.

Moreover, as noted earlier, the embassy's response further confirms the credibility of Caliber.Az's data, thus maintaining our demand for the ambassador to apologize for accusing us of spreading "nonsense."

Finally, Mr. Libby, we once again ask: What exactly was delivered to Armenia on August 2 and 3 by the military transport planes? Please provide a clear and specific answer.