Armenia defense chief downplays Azerbaijan’s calls to war
Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian has claimed Azerbaijan’s
warnings about launching a war are not serious.
"The one who wants to wage a war does not state this beforehand, and Azerbaijan’s calls to war don’t mean anything," he alleged.
Ohanian went as far as trying to convince the Armenian public that Azerbaijan is not ready for military action.
"But we, as military men, have to be ready for war any moment. If Azerbaijan launches a war, I assure you that we will not only counter-strike but, if necessary, do even more," the Armenian defense chief maintained.
In another astounding statement, Ohanian said that if hostilities erupt, Yerevan relies on assistance of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the military arm of CIS.
"We are a member of the CSTO, while Azerbaijan is not. Under the union’s agreement, if military operations are waged against Armenia, the CSTO has a duty to help our country."
Yerevan is apparently perturbed by Azerbaijan’s warnings that it could resort to a military settlement of the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict. President Ilham Aliyev said prior to the November 22 talks with his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sarkisian, in Munich, that if the negotiations failed to yield results, Azerbaijan could move to regain its occupied territories by force. These concerns have prompted the Armenian defense minister’s appeal to citizens and stepping up efforts to present the country’s military as powerful.
Armenian Parliament Speaker Ovik Abramian recently made a similar statement in a meeting with a parliamentary delegation of the so-called "Upper Garabagh Republic." He said Armenia was in favor of a peaceful conflict settlement and does not want war. "But I assure you that they can’t intimidate us by war."
A fragile ceasefire has been in place in the region since a brutal war in the 1990s that claimed some 30,000 lives and displaced about one million Azerbaijanis from their homes. Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven adjacent Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international law. The ceasefire accord was signed in 1994, but the OSCE-brokered peace talks have been fruitless so far. Azerbaijan has never ruled out military action to liberate its land and has spent billions on dollars on building up its military.*
"The one who wants to wage a war does not state this beforehand, and Azerbaijan’s calls to war don’t mean anything," he alleged.
Ohanian went as far as trying to convince the Armenian public that Azerbaijan is not ready for military action.
"But we, as military men, have to be ready for war any moment. If Azerbaijan launches a war, I assure you that we will not only counter-strike but, if necessary, do even more," the Armenian defense chief maintained.
In another astounding statement, Ohanian said that if hostilities erupt, Yerevan relies on assistance of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the military arm of CIS.
"We are a member of the CSTO, while Azerbaijan is not. Under the union’s agreement, if military operations are waged against Armenia, the CSTO has a duty to help our country."
Yerevan is apparently perturbed by Azerbaijan’s warnings that it could resort to a military settlement of the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict. President Ilham Aliyev said prior to the November 22 talks with his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sarkisian, in Munich, that if the negotiations failed to yield results, Azerbaijan could move to regain its occupied territories by force. These concerns have prompted the Armenian defense minister’s appeal to citizens and stepping up efforts to present the country’s military as powerful.
Armenian Parliament Speaker Ovik Abramian recently made a similar statement in a meeting with a parliamentary delegation of the so-called "Upper Garabagh Republic." He said Armenia was in favor of a peaceful conflict settlement and does not want war. "But I assure you that they can’t intimidate us by war."
A fragile ceasefire has been in place in the region since a brutal war in the 1990s that claimed some 30,000 lives and displaced about one million Azerbaijanis from their homes. Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven adjacent Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international law. The ceasefire accord was signed in 1994, but the OSCE-brokered peace talks have been fruitless so far. Azerbaijan has never ruled out military action to liberate its land and has spent billions on dollars on building up its military.*
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