Armenia’s President is Obliged to Raise before Russia the Issue on Selling Weaponry to Azerbaijan
Norat Ter-Grigoryants, Head of general staff of the Republic of Armenia, lieutenant-general, who briefly served named Acting Minister of Defense in 1993, Artsakh war hero, is the interviewee of 168.am.
-Mr. General, Armenian expert community has actively discussed information circulated in Russian media recently on military capabilities of Armenia and Karabakh, first publication of which was on online newspaper, and the second one—by military expert Alexander Khramchikhin. Some military experts claimed secret information was being circulated and exact purpose was set. What do you think of this?
-The same expert published information on those days on Azerbaijani military forces, in which graphic of Armenian and Azerbaijani military forces was brought. Khramchikhin’s publication doesn’t contain any secret, as all those data, pursuant Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, are available and reach until the USA, the state provides that information, and every country that signed the treaty, has the right to check other country with a graphic, there is no any secret here. Thus, I don’t understand why people show likewise reflection on these publications, it’s their affair, however, Khramchikhin wrote also of Azerbaijan, read it, everything is written about them in it. This has its positive side as well, as the world will know which party possesses what kind of weaponry, that is an aggressor, has more tanks and jets, more systems, more militants, is getting ready for the war, the world will see, wont it? It’s good, and we have less military equipment and troops, but we have a defence doctrine and we don’t attack, it’s not a secret.
–Russia continues arming Armenia and Azerbaijan, and publish information also referring to new batch to be supplied. To your mind, how justified is this policy? How may Armenia prevent this process?
-I have repeatedly talked of this. It’s a commercial system, it’s difficult for me to understand. I wrote in my article that I’m against that policy. It seems to me, mister President and Minister of Defence, as Armenia is a CSTO member, may pose that question to the Russian Federation. Who are we? We may only speak, and this is an issue of state importance, and they are responsible for the state and military forces.
–This means, should Serzh Sargsyan raise the issue?
-Not should, but he is obliged to, they are all obliged to raise this issue. How else? Military partner supplies attacking weaponry to the opponent of its military ally, we shouldn’t raise the question, but exactly them. Or they don’t consider it necessary to speak of, or are intimidated, I don’t know, you should ask them.
–Maybe they raise and get a non-satisfactory reply.
– In any case, it’s an issue to be risen by Armenia’s authorities. As a human, I’m against it, it’s a shameful policy, if it were defensive armament, that’s another point, but it’s attacking one. If they don’t purchase it from Russia, they may obtain it from other countries, however, Russian armament is contemporary, powerful, productive, thus, they purchase from Russia tanks, jets, all of them are attacking. Russia arms Armenia’s opponent with attacking armament, and this policy instigates Russia to aggression, we think so, maybe it’s not so, I don’t know.
–How do you explain this policy?
– Maybe Russia need money and doesn’t want to lose ties with any of the buyers, or doesn’t want to lose political relations with a state neighboring Turkey and get the latter’s support. It’s difficult to say, they are secrets, and we only make suppositions.
By Armine Vardanyan
