12:47,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 29, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan has praised the “tangible results” in arms acquisitions last year.

“Experience showed that without modern armaments it’s impossible to have a strong and combat-ready army, no matter how high the spirit of troops to serve their country selflessly,” Papikyan said at the January 28 Army Day celebration.

He said that the efforts to re-equip the Armenian Armed Forces on a proper level befitting leading militaries of the 21st century have “given tangible results.”

“We’ve been able to enhance military-technical cooperation by finding new partners and making tangible steps in the direction of armament diversification. This is one more step strengthening the diversification of our security architecture, which will help us develop a stronger and more reliable security environment around Armenia,” Papikyan said.

The defense minister also spoke about the defense industry. “In simple words, we shouldn’t import what we can produce ourselves here in our country, with a lower cost and good quality. This is a goal that we are working on.”