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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said peace with Azerbaijan represents Armenia’s most reliable security guarantee, stressing that Yerevan is not preparing for war as it marks the 34th anniversary of the country’s armed forces.
In a congratulatory message, Pashinyan said peace has already been established between Armenia and Azerbaijan and remains the strongest safeguard for national security.
“We are not preparing for war, because there will be no war,” he said. “There is no more reliable guarantee of security than peace, and we will strengthen this most reliable guarantee.”
He said Armenia’s army is undergoing transformation through large-scale investments and the acquisition of modern weaponry, increasing its defense capabilities.
Pashinyan said international partners had previously declined to sell weapons to Armenia, citing concerns that arms could be used outside Armenia’s internationally recognized borders or that technical secrets might be shared with the Collective Security Treaty Organization.
He said that as of September 2022, CSTO partners refused to fulfill contractual security obligations and withheld hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of weapons already paid for, creating what he described as an existential threat to Armenia’s sovereignty.
According to Pashinyan, the situation changed after the October 2022 Prague agreement, in which Armenia and Azerbaijan recognized each other’s territorial integrity based on the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration. He said Armenia subsequently froze its membership in the CSTO.
Pashinyan emphasized that the Armenian army’s sole mission is to defend the country’s internationally recognized territory, totaling 29,743 square kilometers.
He said border-related issues would be addressed through joint delimitation commissions and highlighted ongoing social reforms within the military.
These reforms include a transition toward a professional army and a reduction in compulsory military service from 24 months to 18 months.
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