Nagorno-Karabakh crisis: Canada probing alleged use of Canadian technology by Azeri forces

Canada has announced an investigation into the allegations that Azeri forces are using Canadian drone technology in the fight against ethnic Armenian forces in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Project Ploughshares, a Canadian peace research institute with a focus on arms trade and security technologies, had said that the video of airstrikes released by the Azeri air force indicates the use of drones equipped with imaging and targeting systems made by L3Harris WESCAM, the Canada-based unit of L3Harris Technologies.

“In regards to the Canadian military equipment that may have been used…the minister of foreign affairs has launched an investigation into what exactly happened,” Trudeau told reporters on October 2.

The two former Soviet states are in an armed stand-off for years over the Nagorno-Karabakh, a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, and heavy clashes re-erupted on September 27, prompting fears of an all-out war. Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognised as a part of Azerbaijan but it remains disputed because the region is controlled by ethnic Armenians. Armenia has accused Turkey of meddling in the conflict by sending thousands of mercenaries from Syria, a claim swiftly rejected by Ankara.

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Report on tech use

Last month, Project Ploughshares had urged Canada to ban the export of technologies which is "integral" to Turkey's drone program. In a special report, the arms control group said that Canada’s export of WESCAM sensors to Turkey poses a substantial risk of facilitating human suffering, including violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.

“Project Ploughshares has collected evidence...that strongly indicates that WESCAM EO/IR sensors, mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), have been used extensively by Turkey in its recent military activities,” read the report.

Trudeau stressed it is extremely important that the terms of Canada’s expectations of non-violation of human rights are always respected, adding that he was extremely concerned by the fighting. However, Project Ploughshares said that the dramatic rise in exports of WESCAM systems to Turkey has persisted despite Canada’s 2019 accession to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).

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