Defense Minister: Armed Forces of Armenia are ready to repel any
encroachment on our country

2008-01-18 21:00:00

ArmInfo. Armed Forces of Armenia are ready to repel any encroachment on
our country, Armenian Defense Minister Mikayel Harutyunyan said in his
talk with journalists.

According to him, any attempt to encroach on borders of Armenia is
bound to be defeated. "We don’t want a war, and I am sure that the
Azerbaijani people don’t want it, either. According to a recent survey
in Azerbaijan, more than 60% of the respondents said they don’t want to
settle the Karabakh issue by way of force, but by peaceful way, by
means of negotiations", the minister said. He also recalled that in the
result of the war, Azerbaijan, as it asserts, lost 20% of the
territories and a million Azerbaijani became refugees. "In the result
of a new war it may lose 20% more of its territories and one more
million Azerbaijani may become refugees", M. Harutyunyan said and
advised Azerbaijan’s leadership not to ignore the opinion of their own
people. At the same time, the minister emphasized that Armenia does its
best to increase the army’s combat effectiveness and preparedness.