Pashinyan addresses reasons for Yerevan`s paradigm shift: We paid  $100 million for weapons, but deliveries weren`t made

ArmInfo. Yerevan has taken very serious measures to enhance Armenia's defense capability, as stated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan  on the sidelines of the 15th Security Forum "Armenia and Peace at the Crossroads of Risks and Opportunities" on January 14.  "The question arises: why weren't  these measures taken earlier?" he continued.

"Let me give you a provisional date: October 6, 2022 (the  quadrilateral meeting in Prague, where Pashinyan recognized  Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan - ed.). Why didn't we take  these measures before October 6, 2022? Was  it because we didn't want  t0, or because we didn't apply? We submitted requests to everyone, we  reached out to everyone, but we were politely refused, being told,  "We simply refuse to sell you weapons because we are not sure you  will deploy these weapons on your internationally recognized  territory. Moreover, we have doubts about the potential use of  these  weapons outside your internationally recognized territory. And in  2022, when we announced in Prague that the Republic of Armenia and  Azerbaijan recognized each other's territorial integrity and  sovereignty based on the Alma-Ata Declaration, the international arms  market opened for us, as we declared that the army of the Republic of  Armenia will not be used outside its sovereign territory, and we are,  in fact, ready to assume such de jure obligations," he said.  Of  course, the head of the Armenian cabinet continued, there are nuances  related to delimitation. "We also clarified that, since the  provisions of the delimitation commission were adopted, and at this  point all issues concerning our sovereign territories not currently  under our control will be resolved through the delimitation process,  our army therefore has no other objectives  except for self-defense,"  the Prime Minister clarified.

Later, it became clear that in many cases there was no need to even  knock on doors. "They tell us: 'We can offer you this and that.' And  the entire defense weapons market opened up for the Republic of  Armenia," Pashinyan said.

Furthermore, he noted, there is a second nuance  related to the CSTO.  "Our participation in the CSTO has become a serious obstacle to  accessing this international market. But in 2022, the situation was  different - payments amounting to $100 million were made for weapons  and equipment, but the deliveries, sometimes politely, sometimes not  so much, simply weren't carried out. Because of these events, we came  to the conclusion that we must reconsider our paradigms." This, among  other things, was the reason for the freezing of our membership in  the CSTO.

I believe it is important for our society to acknowledging these  nuances, and for the international community to  see that the  Republic of Armenia is positioning itself within these coordinates as  a responsible member of the international community, guided by these  principles," Nikol Pashinyan emphasized.