2 minute read
In recent years, significant armaments and technical equipment have been acquired to enhance Armenia's defense capabilities, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said. He made the remarks at the AIISA Security Forum titled Armenia and Peace: At the Intersection of Risks and Opportunities.
Pashinyan noted that the government has been organizing introductory visits for various groups to see the new acquisitions. “When we invite people, it is obvious that we have something to show, and we want people to see it,” he said.
At the same time, Pashinyan emphasized the importance of explaining why such equipment could not be acquired earlier. According to him, Armenia had previously approached various countries but was refused. “They very politely told us that they were unwilling to sell arms because they were not convinced that they would be used within internationally recognized Armenian territory. Moreover, there were doubts that these arms could be used outside that territory,” the Prime Minister said.
Pashinyan recalled that the situation changed in 2022, when Armenia and Azerbaijan, in Prague, recognized each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, based on the Almaty Declaration. “After that, essentially, the international defense market opened up to us, because we declared that the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia would not be used outside its sovereign, internationally recognized territory,” he stressed.
The Prime Minister added that Armenia is ready to assume these obligations also in a de jure format. “This means that we have declared that the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia may be used only for defensive purposes and only within its own internationally recognized territory,” Pashinyan concluded.