[Armenian News note: the below is translated from Armenian]

Armenian Defence Minister Davit Tonoyan has said that the country will buy offensive weapons and might attack Azerbaijan if needed.

Yerevan and Baku are locked in a conflict over breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, which, along with seven surrounding districts, came under the control of ethnic Armenians in the early 1990s. Azerbaijan and Armenia regularly trade accusations of cease-fire violations.

In an interview to Public TV on 25 February, Tonoyan said that the philosophy of army building had changed. He said it is no long enough to merely pursue a defensive policy.

"The army which defends always loses. We are not going to remain in defence positions. If it is about resumption of hostilities, we will not hesitate to act," he said.

Tonoyan claimed that Armenia cannot compete with Azerbaijan in terms of its demographic or economic possibilities.

"That is why we will pay more attention to quality issues. And as you have seen, we acquire such armament that would make it possible to neutralise any possible encroachment by the opponent," he said.

Tonoyan said the acquisition of Russian Su-30SM fighter jets should be viewed in this context. He dismissed criticism that it was an expensive purchase for Armenia, noting that one fighter jet alone could perform long-distance tasks, saving lives of tens and thousands of Armenian soldiers.

"How can we talk about it being expensive? In past and now as well, the live of our servicemen, both mandatory and contract, is more valuable for us. And we will find most effective solutions to restrain the opponent, to defeat the opponent," he said.

Tonoyan also said that Armenia was taking a new 100m-dollar military loan from Russia to be able to acquire new weapons to meet the country's needs without being engaged in an arms race. He did not disclose the type of weapons to be purchased.