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Expert urges Armenia’s state bodies to identify who’s behind U.S. Bell-412 copters sales to Azerbaijan

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U.S. Bell-412 copters sales to Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijani military is reported to have purchased U.S.-made Bell-412 helicopters which will be showcased at the country’s military parade in Baku on 26 June.

It is unclear how the Bell-412 copters produced by American aircraft manufacturer Bell Helicopter reached Baku given the U.S. legislation banning the country to supply arms to a party to conflict, political scientist Suren Sargsyan said in a Facebook post.

He calls on the Armenian states structures and U.S.-based organizations to take urgent efforts towards identifying who is behind the copters sales to Azerbaijan.

“The Armenian Foreign and Defense Ministeries, as well as the U.S.-based organizations should immediately take action to figure out who has sold or resold the helicopters to Baku,” Sargsyan stressed.

The armed forces of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and a number of other countries operate Bell-412 helicopters, the expert added.

Armenians Protest Israeli Weapon Sales to Azerbaijan

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Armenians-in-Jerusalem-620x300Jerusalem (ArmRadio)—The Armenian community in Jerusalem today protested Israel’s sale of weapons to Azerbaijan, which are being used against Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh region, albawaba.com reports.

Nasser Atta, a producer for ABC News in the Middle East, tweeted some photos and videos from the demonstration (video above), which occurred in front of the Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem.

“Israel supports Azerbaijan’s state terror,” read one sign being held aloft by a protester.

There was a separate protest by Armenian residents of Israel last week at Jerusalem’s Monument of the Armenian Genocide.

Should Germany stop exporting arms to Saudi Arabia?

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Arm salesDespite official condemnation of Saudi Arabia’s executions, many wonder why Germany doesn’t take action against the kingdom. Critics think arms exports to the country should have been stopped a long time ago.

Many countries have condemned Saudi Arabia’s execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr together with three other Shiites and 43 alleged members of al Qaeda .

The Saudi embassy in Tehran was even attacked by protesters, and in response, countries including Bahrain and the UAE backed Riyadh by bringing their diplomats back from Tehran.

Germany, France and other world powers have urged Saudi Arabia and Iran to engage in dialogue – but many wonder if words are enough. Even as Western powers like Germany condemn Saudi Arabia’s policies, they continue to export arms to the country, and thus benefit from its conflicts, critics claim.

Germany’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Martin Schäfer said at a news conference that Germany opposes the death penalty, but added that he is “unaware of any government plans to impose sanctions for this reason.”

In the first half of 2015 alone, Germany approved a number of arms exports to the Gulf region, despite concerns about conflicts and human rights violations. Among the exports approved were 15 patrol boats for Saudi Arabia.

The latest report showed that the value of Germany’s arms sales, the world’s fourth-biggest arms exporter, was 3.5 billion euros ($4 billion) in the first six months of 2015 – compared to 2.2 billion euros in the first half of 2014.