ArmInfo. Yet, Armenia has managed to implement a policy that ensures the preservation of military balance in the region. Armenian ex-Minister of Defense, Lieutenant- General Vagharshak Harutyunyan stated this at a press conference in Yerevan on March 13.
According to him, if this were not the case, then in Nagorno-Karabakh war would be resumed long ago. At the same time, the expert believes that this can be done thanks to the right choice of allies. Harutyunyan is convinced that Armenia's membership in the CSTO, and the presence of Russian troops on the territory of the country, are a deterrent for Azerbaijan and Turkey.
Commenting on the appeals of some political forces on the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Armenia, Harutyunyan said: "These forces should understand whose interests they are promoting." Three more presidents have been replaced in Armenia since independence, each of them had but they all worked to strengthen relations with Russia.Today, thanks to the right policy, Armenia has what it has, including the victory in the Karabakh war. "And what does Azerbaijan have?" Harutyunyan asked.
Speaking about the exercises conducted by Azerbaijan in Nakhijevan, he noted that this site is the territory for the realization of the ideology of neo-Ottomanism. "What is Nakhijevan from the military-political point of view and weapons?" First, Nakhijevan today is a territory from which one can strike at Yerevan from medium-range weapons, for example, using the "Tochka-U" , "Smerch." Secondly, from Nakhijevan, it is possible to penetrate into the Syunik region - Meghri, and establish direct contact with Azerbaijan.In addition, Nakhijevan is mainly home to Shiites, which are closer to the Iranians in essence, but Turkey today has a clear policy upon request but at the same time, the military equipment concentrated in Nakhijevan makes it possible to use this territory as a military base, "Harutyunyan said. According to him, all these circumstances cannot but worry the Armenian side, which should be vigilant.