Day: November 14, 2023

French-made armored vehicles arrive in Poti, Georgia. (From Ouest-France)

Operators of the Georgian port of Poti confirmed that recently “special use cargo” from France to Armenia had arrived at the port.

The company, APM Terminals Poti, made the announcement in response to reports in the Azerbaijani press, especially Caliber.az, an Azerbaijani news site with close ties to the country’s defense ministry, which reported that in the early morning hours of November 12, French-made Bastion multifunctional military vehicles arrived in Poti, reported Azatutyun’s Georgian Service.

”In this particular case, the cargo arrived from France, a member of the European Union, and was intended for delivery to Armenia, a country to which sanctions do not apply. In addition, there were no restrictions on this issue by the Georgian government and international regulatory bodies, so APM Terminals Poti cannot unreasonably refuse to accept a cargo that is not under sanctions,” the port operator told Azatutyun’s Georgian Service.

Caliber.az also reported that another French company, ARQUUS, has delivered compatible components for the Bastion vehicles.

While official Yerevan and Paris have not commented on the reported deliveries to Armenia, the France-based “Ouest-France” newspaper reported on the Bastion deliveries. The French publication also added that the armored vehicles allegedly shipped to Armenia were meant to be sent to Ukraine, but Kyiv deemed that they did not properly protect against artillery fire and anti-tank missiles.

Azerbaijan condemned France for “arming Armenia.” It was also revealed that Baku is set to acquire Israeli-made BarakMX air defense system in a deal worth a reported $1.2 billion.