Turkey blasts Canada's suspension of drone tech sales

Canada's decision to suspend exports of drone technology to Turkey over allegations the equipment was used by Azerbaijani forces in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict shows a double standard, the Turkish foreign ministry has said.
"Turkey expects Canada to follow a policy free of double standards and to act without being influenced from those opposed to Turkey," the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
Canada's announcement followed Azerbaijan President Aliyev's comment in an interview on Monday that the country was using Turkish-made technology in the conflict.
"There is no explanation of blocking defence equipment exports to a NATO ally while ... Canada does not see any harm in exporting arms to countries that have military involvement in the crisis in Yemen," it said.
Turkey carefully sticks to its obligations under its comprehensive export-control regime, the Turkish foreign ministry added.

READ MORE: Azerbaijan frees more villages around occupied Karabakh as fighting rages

Fighting escalates over occupied Karabakh

Ottawa announced in October 2019 a freeze on the issuing of export permits for military shipments to Turkey, after Ankara launched military operations in northern Syria to clear the region of terrorists. The freeze was lifted in May.

Turkey is backing its longtime ally Baku in the fighting over occupied Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian province that broke away from Azerbaijan in a bitterly fought war in the 1990s.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a simmering conflict for decades over the region and the new fighting has killed at least 260 people.

Turkish drone tech

Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said on Monday Canada suspended the export of some drone technology to Turkey while it investigates whether it was used by Azeri forces in more than a week of fierce clashes with Armenia.

Turkey has in the past supplied drones to Azerbaijan.

Canadian arms control group Project Plough shares says video of air strikes released by Baku indicates the drones had been equipped with imaging and targeting systems made by L3Harris Wescam, the Canada-based unit of L3Harris Technologies Inc .

Armenia and Azerbaijan have accused each other of attacking civilian areas and hundreds of people have been killed in the deadliest clashes in the region for more than 25 years. NATO has urged an immediate ceasefire.

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