[UPDATE October 2020: On 23 October, a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report documented incidents of use of cluster munitions by Azerbaijan following the outbreak of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh in late September 2020. A second HRW report on 30 October found cluster munition use by Armenia during the conflict, but could not confirm whether it was direct use by Armenian forces or if Armenian forces supplied cluster munitions to forces in Nagorno-Karabakh.]

Ten-Year Review: Non-signatory Armenia says it cannot accede to the convention until its dispute with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied territories is resolved. Armenia has participated in meetings of the convention, but not since 2014. It abstained from voting on a key annual United Nations (UN) resolution promoting the convention since 2015.

Armenia reported in 2012 that it does not produce, export, stockpile, or use cluster munitions, and has no intent to do so. There is credible evidence that cluster munitions were used in Nagorno-Karabakh in April 2016, but Armenia denied such use and said Azerbaijan was responsible.

Policy

The Republic of Armenia has not acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Armenia has consistently stated that it cannot consider joining the convention unless Azerbaijan also does so and after a settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is reached.[1] Nagorno-Karabakh is claimed by Azerbaijan but under the control of a breakaway governing authority.

Armenia did not participate in the Oslo Process that created the Convention on Cluster Munitions.[2]

Armenia participated as an observer in several Meetings of States Parties of the convention, but not since 2014.[3]

In December 2019, Armenia abstained from the vote on a UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution that calls on states outside the Convention on Cluster Munitions to “join as soon as possible.”[4] It has repeatedly abstained from voting on this annual UNGA resolution since it was first introduced in 2015.

Armenia has expressed concern at use of cluster munitions, describing it as “a grave violation” of international humanitarian law.[5]

Armenia has not joined the Mine Ban Treaty or the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

Armenia has stated several times that it does not produce, export, stockpile, or use cluster munitions, and has no intent to do so.[6] According to independent arms trade research organizations and local media, Armenia acquired six BM-30 Smerch multi-barrel rocket launchers from Russia in 2016 and 2017, but it is not known if the deal included cluster munition rockets.[7]

Cluster munition contamination in Nagorno-Karabakh dates from the 1988–1994 conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.[8] There are reports of contamination in other parts of occupied Azerbaijan, adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh, which are under the control of Armenian forces.[9]

There is evidence that at least two types of ground-fired cluster munition rockets were used in Nagorno-Karabakh during the first week of April 2016, during fighting across the line of contact separating local Armenian-backed separatists and Azerbaijani forces. Armenia’s Ministry of Defense issued photographs showing the remnants of 300mm Smerch cluster munition rockets that it claimed Azerbaijan fired into Nagorno-Karabakh, while an article stated that Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh “do not possess weaponry of this kind.”[10] Cluster Munition Monitor was not able to conduct an independent investigation to make a conclusive determination about responsibility for this cluster munition use.

(See the separate profile on Nagorno-Karabakh.)