Armenia’s Acting Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan
YEREVAN—Armenia has acquired new drones made in Artsakh, Armenia’s Acting Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan said Monday during a press briefing that included updates on Armenia’s defense deals, as well as the latest from the peace process, reported Armenpress.
While Tonoyan did not provide any specific details about the unmanned aerial vehicles that are produced in Artsakh, he did say that when operated they could pose a threat to the enemy.
He told reporters that Armenia’s arms industry has made several inroads and there are numerous innovations that are in production in Armenia.
“They [the arms] are not in the stage of engineering and designing, but are already in the stage of production. I am speaking about new types of weapons equipped with new technologies,” explained Tonoyan.
The acting defense minister also announced that Armenia has signed another agreement for a $100 million credit with Russia for delivery and purchase of weapons.
“We have not completed the talks over the supplies yet. The agreement is signed. There are some details over the supplies which are under discussion right now,” said Donoyan adding that there are other defense credits opportunities, outside of Russia that Armenia is also considering.
To round out the updates about the military hardware and supplies, Tonoyan also announced that military uniforms for the Armed Forces will be entirely manufactured in Armenia under the brand “Armenian Army.” He explained that other countries manufacture their own uniforms for their armed forces, and this effort was to promote the Armenian military.
Armenia-Azerbaijan border/Karabakh talks
Tonoyan also announced that the Azerbaijani forces had not captured any territory on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border in Nakhichevan, explaining that Armenian borer troops are monitoring the situation and are taking necessary measures to thwart any effort by Azerbaijan to advance toward the border.
He also said that in its turn, the Armenian border troops were reinforcing their positions along the border “not just in one place… and not necessarily on Armenian territory.”
An agreement to establish “operative communications” reached last month between Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Dushanbe, Tajikistan has been unimpeded, according to Tonoyan who explained that officials have been appointed by both sides to carry out these contacts.
“Officials both in Armenia and Azerbaijan have been appointed for that operative communication,” said Tonoyan who emphasized that only these officials are in contact with one another emphasizing a point he made last week that Pashinyan and Aliyev are not actually in communication.
He added that Armenia has also been advocating for similar mechanisms to be established between direct commanders.
“We are raising the issue of establishing an operative communication between the direct commanders. This is a way of reducing the incidents [on the border]. We are raising this issue with the [OSCE Minsk Group] Co-Chairs,” he explained.