If we are forced into war, we will force peace – Pashinyan

22:07, 8 April, 2019

YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. Armenia does not plan to launch any military operations, but if anyone does it, Armenia will force peace, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashiyan told the reporters at the National Assembly. Speaking about his last meeting with Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev, Pashinyan said that it went on in a constructive atmosphere.

“It was mentioned in the joint statement of the Co-chairs, as well as the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan that the meeting was constructive. An agreement was reached to respect and strengthen the ceasefire regime. If someone asks if there is any possibility that we will break the agreement, I will say “no”, but if anyone breaks that agreement, it does not mean we will not protect ourselves”, ARMENPRESS reports Pashinyan as saying.

The reporters asked Pashinyan to comment on the announcement of Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan, who had said that the principle of “territories for peace” will no longer exist. The Minister had even re-formulated it, saying “new lands in case of new war”.

“We say, do not threaten us by war, because we are not afraid of war. There is nothing illogical or unconstructive in the announcement of the Defense Minister. If someone wages war against us, do they think Armenia will surrender? Of course, not. We say that we are number one advocate for a peaceful settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict, and we have said that we will do everything to push forward the peace agenda. And if we always speak about the peace agenda, there should be no impressions that we will be threaten by war. Azerbaijan has to be threatened by war as much as we have, and the region has to be threatened in general. If we are forced into war, we will force peace. We do not plan to launch any military operations, but if anyone does it, Armenia will force peace”, Pashinyan said.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan