Minister says Armenia always expecting resumption of hostilities

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian side is always expecting the resumption of hostilities, Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan told reporters on Wednesday, July 25.

His comments came after Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) Defense Minister Levon Mnatsakanyan said he predicted “a possible rise in tension on the contact line with Azerbaijan in September-October.”

Weighing in on the remarks that his last interview was perceived as a direct warning to Azerbaijan, Tonoyan said he doesn’t think there is need for more comment.

In an interview with EADaily, Tonoyan said the Azerbaijani side should not to be so confident so as to think that it controls the escalation of the military situation on the contact line. He said the OSCE Minsk Group mediators won’t be able to convince the Armenian side to suspend the retaliatory punitive actions when the Azerbaijani side resumes military operations. If the scenario of the April aggression of 2016 repeats, the Armenian side might not refrain from what he called “the temptation" to use the entire arsenal it has for a decisive and large-scale counteraction to the rival.

Azerbaijan on April 2, 2016 launched a large-scale military offensive against Nagorno Karabakh, which left hundreds dead on both sides. Top Armenian and Azerbaijani defense officials reached an agreement on the cessation of hostilities on April 5.