India is reportedly accelerating arms sales to Armenia in what analysts view as part of a broader effort to counter the growing strategic alignment between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Pakistan – a trilateral partnership that has challenged New Delhi’s regional interests and openly backed Islamabad in the wake of their recent cross-border flare-up.
Defence ties between Delhi and Armenia’s government in Yerevan have grown steadily since 2020, fuelled by shared strategic interests and the West Asian nation’s gradual pivot away from Russia, its traditional arms supplier. Indian analysts say the shift highlights a deeper geopolitical rivalry emerging across Eurasia, where alliances are increasingly being redrawn in the wake of the Ukraine war and other regional conflicts.
Turkey and Azerbaijan swiftly voiced support for Pakistan after India launched air strikes – code-named Operation Sindoor – targeting nine suspected militant camps across the border, in retaliation for an attack that killed 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. Islamabad has denied Delhi’s accusations of supporting the militants.
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“India’s relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan are not great,” said Rajan Kochar, a senior adviser at Indic Researchers Forum, a Delhi-based security think tank. “Therefore, any arms sales to Armenia are unlikely to affect our relations with them, especially so when both nations have openly sided and abetted Pakistan against India in the recent Operation Sindoor.”
An Armenian soldier fires artillery on the front line amid fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020. Photo: AFP
India is planning to deliver a second batch of Akash-1S surface-to-air missile systems to Armenia under a 2022 treaty, along with a broader range of weapons including howitzer guns and Pinaka multiple launch rocket systems, according to media reports. The first batch of missiles was sent in November last year.
