ArmInfo.Due to the absence of a breakthrough in the negotiation process on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, the Armenian side should be ready for periodic exacerbations on the front line. The ARF Dashnaktsutyun announced this at the conference organized on September 4, Deputy Defense Minister Artak Zakaryan stated.
According to him, after signing the trilateral ceasefire agreement in 1994, Azerbaijan periodically violates the ceasefire regime, with the aim of regaining control over Nagorno-Karabakh. "Baku continues to actively arm, which indicates the intention to resolve the Karabakh issue by force. The culmination of periodic exacerbations of the situation in the conflict zone was last year's April war," Zakaryan said. And in this context, he added that the Armenian armed forces are increasing the equipment of the advanced, so that in case of need to give an adequate response to the next adventure of the enemy.
According to him, within the framework of reforming the defense ministry, a new concept of the consistent development of the Armenian armed forces was adopted, which is presented in the government's program of activities for 2017-2020. The Deputy Minister of Defense also stated that Armenia is interacting with international partners to enhance the skills of its own armed forces, and the interaction is carried out within the framework of the action plan.
"We still do not exclude that various factors superimposed on each other can force the opponent to go on another adventure, and the Armenian side of the defense policy will have to take other active steps. We take into account all sorts of development, proceeding from which we carry out the training of our Armed Forces. We proceed from the fact that as long as there is no political solution to the Karabakh issue, we must have the capacity to influence the aggression of the enemy, "the official said. At the same time, he added that Armenia is pursuing a fairly wise policy, not giving Azerbaijanis a reason to forcefully resolve the issue.
He also agreed that after the last year's April war the negotiation process stalled. Zakaryan recalled that Armenia put forward two important conditions for the continuation of the negotiation process - the implementation of the agreements reached at the summits in Vienna and St. Petersburg. "We are working hard to resolve the issue peacefully, since the force option can not lead to a final resolution of the issue. We hope that the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group will be able to transfer the negotiation process from the management phase to the settlement phase, "concluded Zakaryan.
ArmInfo.There is no political implication in the non- participation of the Armenian armed forces in the multinational military exercises of NATO Agile Spirit 2017. Armenian Deputy Defense Minister Artak Zakaryan stated this in a conversation with journalists.
ArmInfo. The Armenian delegation headed by the Chief of the Air Defense Forces of Armed Forces, Colonel Armen Vardanyan will take part in the meeting of the Air Defense Coordination Committee under the Council of CIS Defense Ministers and in the joint trainings "Combat Commonwealth 2017" in Moscow and Astrakhan from September 4 to 6.