  If war starts, NKR Defense Army will not fight on its territory – it will fight wherever it is convenient and interesting for it  October 13, 2010 - 18:34 AMTPanARMENIAN.Net - NKR Defense Minister, Lieutenant General Movses Hakobyan said that currently the NKR Defense Army (DA) is in a state of war. Martial law is preserved on the contact line, as hostilities take place there, though at a smaller scale compared to the beginning of 90-s, Hakobyan said during a meeting with participants of the 5th Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists and Mass Media in Stepanakert. According to him, the current situation is described in military manuals as a positional warfare. Speaking about the NKR DA structure, he said that it is rather peculiar. “There is a similar army only in Israel and Artsakh. We continue strengthening our might, being not satisfied with the truce concluded in 1994, as it does not guarantee non-resumption of hostilities by one of the states. Today, there is a serious problem, as Azerbaijan rejects direct negotiations with Karabakh. One can say that there are not negotiations, as Artsakh does not participate in them,” a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter quoted Hakobyan as saying. The Minister noted that if Azerbaijan thinks even for a moment that it can resolve the conflict through force, it will immediately unleash a war, irrespective of bans of the international community. “And we conceive it. The NKR DA controls the situation, which causes concern, but is not catastrophic,” said Hakobyan. Speaking about the Azerbaijani Army, Movses Hakobyan noted that Azerbaijan started building it several years ago, but it is impossible to establish a normal army within such period. As for the number and material status, he noted that a big army and great number of equipment on small territories are not convenient always, adding that the NKR army’s material status is better. “If a war starts, we will not fight on our territory, we will fight wherever it is convenient and interesting for the NKR DA,” stressed Hakobyan. He added that military units’ morale is very high. “Not a diversion will be left unpunished, we try to dictate conditions on the frontline. As for accidents in the army, they always happen. But we are resolute to improve the situation, while positive things considerably prevail negatives ones in the army,” concluded Hakobyan.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Macron says France commemorates 109th anniv. of Armenian genocide  Today France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915, Macron says.Pashinyan: We must stop searching for homeland, we have found that homeland Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has shared a message on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.Erdogan wants “realistic road map” for relations with Armenia Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a “new realistic road map” for relations with Armenia.Armenia-Azerbaijan: Experts launch work on determining coordinates Expert groups from the countries started the process of determining the coordinates based on geodetic measurements. |
