‘As long as the Karabakh conflict is not resolved, the Nation must be prepared for anything’ the prime minister said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, on Tuesday, joined by his cabinet members and other high ranking officials visited the Yerablur National Cemetery to commemorate the third anniversary of the April 2016 War.

After laying flowers at the grave markers of fallen soldiers, as well as one at the tomb of the unknown soldier, he spoke to reporters saying that as long as the Karabakh conflict is not resolved, the people of Armenia and the entire Nation must be prepared for anything.

“The negotiations should continue, but we also should understand that as long as the conflict is not resolved, we, as a state and people, must be ready for any development,” Pashinyan said.

He also commented on remarks made by Armenia’s Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan, who last week told a gathering of the Armenian community in New York that Armenia the ongoing mantra of exchanging territories for peace has been replaced by the more resolute approach of advancing new territories in the event of a new war or military provocations.

“He [Defense Minister Tonoyan] stated that if war breaks out, our aspiration will be to win in the war,” said Pashinyan. “This in no way impacts the peaceful resolution process; on the contrary, it highlights the importance of the peaceful resolution process.”

Pashinyan also joked that if the defense minister has not made that statement, he would have dismissed him from his position.