Armenians slam Israel's arm sale to Azerbaijan, urge to reverse action

U.S. Armenians have denounced Israel over press reports that it has agreed to sell arms and munitions to Azerbaijan, which is involved in a dispute with Armenia over the ongoing occupation of Azerbaijani lands.Â

A leading Armenian activist has also accused the American Jewish Congress, or AJC, a major Jewish association in the United States, of "supporting Azerbaijan".

The Armenian Assembly of America (AAA), one of the two largest Armenian groups in the country, earlier this week sent to its subscribers an article by Jirair Haratunian, the former chairman of the AAA's board of directors, denouncing the close ties of Israel and the ACJ with Azerbaijan.

The United Press International, quoting Israel's daily Haaretzi reported on Sept. 26 that the Israeli government has agreed to sell mortars, ammunition and military radios to Azerbaijan. Former Israeli Defense Minister Benjamin Ben Eliezer had previously said Azerbaijan would be a valuable ally for Israel due to its supply of oil and gas.

"A dangerous pattern is emerging in the Caucasus with new reports that Israel is continuing to sell advanced military armaments to Azerbaijan, costing hundreds of millions of dollars," Haraturanian said in his article.

"They sell these arms at a time when Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, has repeatedly threatened to recapture Nagorno-Karabakh by military force," he said.

The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia began in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan.

Since 1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts