ARMENIA SHOULD BE ABLE TO DEPRIVE AZERBAIJAN OF ITS ALLIES’ SUPPORT, VAHAN SHIRKHANIAN STATES
Author: Petrosian Susanna Editor: Eghian Robert
Noyan Tapan News Agency
Oct 10 2007
Armenia
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Azerbaijan’s aggression against
Karabakh is excluded unless it is instigated by Turkey or NATO. Vahan
Shirkhanian, the former RA Deputy Defence Minister, expressed
confidence at the October 10 discussion.
He said that if Azerbaijan, which has not learnt any lesson from the
war, decides to attack Armenia, Armenia should be ready to undertake
a number of preventive steps and not only in military, but also in the
diplomatic sphere. "It would be better if our state officials thought
of how to deprive Azerbaijan of NATO’s support and Turkey’s direct
military, financial, and moral assistance," V. Shirkhanian stated. He
reminded that the current Azeri army’s budget has increased 20-fold
as compared with 1995.
According to the former Deputy Defence Minister, if nevertheless
Azerbaijan undertakes military operations, this will be a serious
mistake, which Armenia should make use of by undertaking purely
defensive actions. V. Shirkhanian said that both the problem of
Karabakh’s recognition and Armenia’s coming out of the blockade will
be solved in that case.
"Karabakh is merely an inflamed blind gut for Azerbaijan, while
for Armenia it is a matter of existence. We have no right to cede a
single inch, as this relates to the issue of Armenia’s being or nor
being in military, political, physical sense. If we cede Karabakh,
we will cede Armenia," V. Shirkhanian stated.