Military’s only mission is protection of 29,743 square kilometers Armenian sovereign territory, says Defense Minister

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenia doesn’t seek to militarily retake the nearly 200 square kilometers of its sovereign territory currently under Azerbaijani occupation because the delimitation process gives the chance to resolve the issue peacefully, Defense Minister Suren Papikyan has said.

“The ongoing reforms, expenditures and investments in the military are aimed at one important goal, to have a professional, combat-ready and modern army that will be capable of defending the 29 thousand 743 square kilometers sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. And this is the only mission of the military. We have the duty to sacredly fulfill this,” Papikyan said in parliament during 2025 budget debates.

Regarding the issue of the nearly 200 square kilometers of sovereign Armenian territory currently under Azerbaijani occupation, the minister said, “We don’t have a goal of resolving that issue militarily because the delimitation process gives the opportunity for resolving that issue through peaceful negotiations.”