Serbian diplomats in Baku after weapons supply to Armenia scandal

The alleged supply of weapons from Serbia to Armenia during the recent escalation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border from July 12-16, 2020 was the reason for the arrival of and meetings with Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic in Baku on August 11.

However, at a press conference following the meeting, neither side commented on the issue of the alleged arms delivery.

Buzz around this story rose at the end of July 2020, when reports about the supply of weapons to Armenia from Serbia caused Baku to voice protest.

Georgia was also involved in the scandal after the Azerbaijani newspaper haqqin.az announced that the weapons supplied were transported through Georgian territory.

The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs categorically denied this information.

On August 7, the topic of arms supplies was raised during a telephone conversation between the presidents of Serbia and Azerbaijan, Aleksandar Vucic and Ilham Aliyev.

Official reports state that the head of Azerbaijan expressed regret over the fact that Armenia used weapons produced in Serbia during the battles near the village of Tovuz.

Vucic replied that a delegation from Serbia would be sent to Azerbaijan to investigate the issue.

Whether this promise has been fulfilled by the current visit of the deputy prime minister is unknown.

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Nebojsa Stefanovic is not only the deputy prime minister of Serbia, he is also the secretary of the national security council and the minister of the interior.

He was met by Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan for Foreign Policy Hikmet Hajiyev, Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov and Secretary of the Security Council Ramil Usubov.

When speaking about the results of the meeting, Stefanovic emphasized the importance of a strategic partnership and friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Serbia. He also spoke about the successful work of Azerbaijani companies in Serbia.