Epress.am News from Armenia
Speaking to Epress.am, Viktor Soghomonyan, press spokesperson for former president of Armenia Robert Kocharian, said it’s not he who has to comment on the US Embassy cables released by WikiLeaks — in particular, on the US threats to RA President Serzh Sargsyan over Armenia’s arms transfer to Iran.
As reported earlier by the Guardian, in a hard-hitting letter dated Dec. 24, 2008, senior US officials threaten wide-ranging US retaliation, including sanctions, if the Armenian government does not halt arms transfers to Iran, which they say have resulted in Iranian proxies killing US soldiers in Iraq. The leak further reveals that, in 2003, Armenia facilitated Iran’s purchase of rockets and machine guns, and in 2007, “some of these weapons were recovered from two Shia militant attacks in which a United States soldier was killed and six others were injured in Iraq.”
Moreover, “The direct role of high-level Armenian officials and the link of the weapons to an attack on US forces make this case unique and highly troubling,” reads the background in this particular US Embassy cable. Recall that in 2003, Robert Kocharian was Armenia’s president.
Soghomonyan, commenting on the recommendation in the letter to reform the Armenian Export Control Commission, said this is another point that shows that there was no arms sale at the state level.
“I think that, in that letter, there’s no accusation aimed at Robert Kocharian, there’s no mention there that in any way is directed toward him,” he said.
“In any case, I don’t think I’m the person that has to comment on this matter, since the noted letter, first, is dated Dec. 24, 2008, that is, during Serzh Sargsyan’s tenure; second, there is no accusation at Robert Kocharian in the letter,” he said.
Note that Serzh Sargsyan’s press spokesperson, Armen Arzumanyan, declined to comment on the leaked US Embassy cables.