ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Jan 28 2008

Presidential candidate: Armenian army far stronger than Georgian and
Azerbaijani

YEREVAN, January 28. /ARKA/. Armenian army is far stronger than
Georgian and Azerbaijani, National-Democratic Union leader and former
PM Vazgen Manukyan, who is one of presidential candidates now, said
on Monday.

He told journalists that there are unified international criteria for
gauging an army’s strength.

`These criteria take into account not only figures, but also
psychological atmosphere in the country and the population readiness
to defend the homeland’, he said.

Manukyan thinks one country’s army can outdo another country’s army
on figures, but lag behind it on moral alert.
`Our army has already proved to be able to beat Azerbaijani troops. I
think that our armed forces are stronger than Azerbaijani also now’,
he said.

However, the presidential candidate thinks that things can lay ground
for concern, if proper moral and psychological atmosphere is not
created.

January 28 is the Day of Armenian Army. On that day 1992 Armenian
government made a landmark decision on establishing defense ministry
and the minister issued his first decree.

The first stage of Armenian army formation came amid escalating
tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Karabakh between 1988 and
1992.

The necessity of defending Nagorno-Karabakh Republic emerged then.
Initially, volunteer groups defended Karabakh, but it was became very
soon that the defense needed state approach.

In September 1990, Armenian parliament decided to form a regiment at
Defense Ministry.-0-

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress