ARMENIA NOT AFRAID OF WAR, AND DOESN’T WANT IT EITHER: RA DM

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 19 2006

YEREVAN, April 19. /ARKA/. Armenia is not afraid of a war, and does
not want it as well, Armenian Defense Minister Serj Sargsyan told
the newspaper “Red Star”.

He also said that the ceasefire agreement was reached through the
mediation of Russia. “Today our troops are at an advantageous defensive
position, and we have properly equipped our positions during 12 years,”
Sargsyan said.

He said that the Karabakh issue has been raised for a long time in
Azerbaijan, with an attempt to solve other domestic political problems.

According to Sargsyan, Azerbaijan’s president and defense minister used
to say and say now that if Armenia does not agree to their conditions,
then Baku will have to resolve the problem by a military way. Moreover,
Azerbaijan has doubled its military budget, and the Azerbaijani
president recently stated that he will increase it to $1bln.

“However, I must admit that it means blackmail,” Sargsyan said.

According to him, “billions of dollars will not help in this case”.

“But if large military budgets could determine military efficiency
and preparedness of troops, then, I think, all the oil countries
have had the most efficient armies. However, it is not like that,”
Sargsyan said.