ArmInfo. Armenia proceeds from the premise that, first of all, the security of the Artsakh population should be ensured by the Defense Army. Armenian Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan stated this in an interview with RIA Novosti.
According to him, of course, there is a lot to be done in terms of restoring its combat readiness and modernization, but whatever it was, this should be done.
“Secondly, Armenia still remains the guarantor of the security of the people of Artsakh, and we will never relinquish this historic mission. And thirdly, probably the most important thing is, of course, the Russian military presence in the region, thanks to which we first succeeded in ending fire, and later, simply prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. I think that thanks to joint efforts with the Russian Federation, long-term peace in the region will be ensured, "Harutyunyan said.
To clarify whether the army will be involved in the protection of the transport corridor from Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan, the head of the Armenian Defense Ministry pointed to the incorrect use of the term "corridor" when it comes to transport links between the western regions of Azerbaijan and the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic.
"According to the statement of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and the President of the Russian Federation on November 9, 2020, the only corridor is Lachinsky, which provides the connection between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia. In all other cases, we can only talk about transport communications. Answering the question posed. , I can say that Armenia, in accordance with its obligations, will ensure compliance with the safety requirements of the above-mentioned transport communication. The issue of involving the army in its protection is not currently raised, and control over transport communication, again according to a trilateral statement, is entrusted to the authorities Border Service of the FSB of Russia, "added Harutyunyan.
The head of the Armenian defense department did not rule out the establishment of joint production of weapons with Russia in Armenia. He recalled that Armenian-Russian joint ventures are already functioning in Armenia, and further work in this direction is underway.
"In addition, work will continue to create and expand the network of regional certified centers for the repair and modernization of weapons and military equipment on the territory of the republic, which is important given the financial and economic side of the issue," concluded Harutyunyan.