Armenia`s premier clarifies his statements on arms purchases 

ArmInfo. <Mr. Prime Minister, you say that we are being sold rusty old weapons because we say that Ararat is ours, you said that until the Artsakh issue is resolved, we will live poorly, but now the issue <has been resolved>. You also constantly claim that the idea of historical Armenia hinders the  existence of real Armenia, change the anthem, raise the issue of the  controversial coat of arms. Some abstract ideas constantly hinder us,  don't you think that the problem is in you?>, - the journalist asked  the head of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Armenia Nikol  Pashinyan on January 31 at a press conference.

<Yes, I think that the problem is in us, in our perception of the  world. But not only in me personally>, - Pashinyan answered,  indicating that he is part of the Armenian society.

As for the purchase of old, unnecessary weapons, as Pashinyan  explained, the current cabinet acquires only new ones. In addition,  everything that Armenia purchased, the same amount, and even more,  was received as a gift. "We have never received factory-made weapons  as a gift. If there were, and I did not audit everything, then it was  very little," he said.

Touching upon the draft law on revising the national anthem proposed  by the deputies of the ruling faction of the National Assembly, he  stated that the government is not changing the anthem, but is only  proposing to remove the following quatrain: "Death is one everywhere,  a person dies only once, but blessed is he who dies for the freedom  of his people."

The draft law also proposes to place the last verse of the anthem  after the first verse, so that the text of the anthem ends not with  the words "Blessed is he who dies for the freedom of his people," but  with the words "Let Armenia always be glorified."

"It has become a tradition that after the performance of the anthem,  everyone claps. And it turns out that the anthem ends with a scene of  death, and we clap. And each time this leads to discomfort," he  noted.

Recently Pashinyan stated on OTV that against the backdrop of the  Ararat discourse, Armenia cannot buy modern weapons, they will give  us expired, used weapons, some will be given away, some will be sold,  since they will be "thrown away" anyway, which, according to him, has  been happening for many years, and against the backdrop of these  conversations we will lose our independence every day, without  noticing it, for patriotic reasons.

"If we say that we will go with a picture of Ararat, say that they  will give us weapons, no one will give them, because no one wants,  especially because of us, to get involved in a conflict with Turkey,"  he noted.