ArmInfo. Yerevan is proposing a mutual arms control agreement to Baku, Armenia's Premier Nikol Pashinyan stated.
"On the one hand, Azerbaijan declares that it will strengthen the army, questions the territorial integrity of Armenia, on the other hand, it states that the Armenian army is purchasing weapons from France... In other words, Azerbaijan believes that Armenia should not have an army? If this is the perception, it means (Azerbaijan) is questioning the right of the Republic of Armenia to exist, which is absolutely unacceptable. Any country has the right to maintain an Army. But, of course, it is clear that we must put all this in the context of regional security," Pashinyan said, speaking at a meeting of the initiative group of the ruling party "Civil Contract".
In the context of the regional situation, Pashinyan believes, Armenia may have concerns about Azerbaijan's weapons, and vice versa. That is why Yerevan wants to sign such a peace treaty in order to exclude war in the future.
"But sometimes Azerbaijan's proposals give the impression that an attempt is being made to develop a document that would legitimize further wars. This is beyond logic.
"We propose, we say, to ensure security, let us carry out a mirror withdrawal of troops from the border line defined by the Almaty Declaration in order to neutralize the risk of clashes, Azerbaijan rejects this.
"We say: let's demilitarize the border areas, Azerbaijan rejects this. I can make one more proposal: let's sign an arms control agreement so that Armenia and Azerbaijan reach specific agreements regarding weapons and have the opportunity to monitor the implementation of each other's agreements," Pashinyan said.