Pashinyan: Enrooted ideas "turned to be disastrous for us”

“We have also offered a mutual arms control mechanism, also the signing of a non-aggression pact if it turns out that signing a peace treaty will take longer than expected,” Nikol Pashinyan said at the festive event dedicated to the 32nd anniversary of the formation of the Armenian Army.

He noted that “the ideas rooted in us about safety and security systems and their operational formulas turned to be disastrous for us.”

“There is no other option for the Republic of Armenia than the diversification of security relations. And we’re going that way. We are on the path of acquiring new and modern weapons and equipment, and in recent years the Government has signed contracts for the purchase of several billion USD weapons and ammunition.

Reforming the army, having a strong and combat-ready army is the sovereign right of every country and we will continue to follow this path. A strong and capable army is one of the most important factors ensuring the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of the Republic of Armenia, but it is not the only factor,” Pashinyan noted.

He stressed that from the point of view of ensuring security, foreign relations and the legitimacy of the conducted policies from the point of view of international law are the key factors:

“Hence, legitimacy should be the most important factor ensuring Armenia’s external security. I mean that the Republic of Armenia should identify itself within the territory on which it was recognized by the international community. It is the territory of the Armenian SSR, which is identical to the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. We must state clearly and unequivocally that we do not and will not have any ambitions for any other territory, and this should become the strategic basis for ensuring Armenia’s external security.”