Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan commented on rumors about possible deployment of peacekeepers in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone.
“Karabakh conflict zone is probably the only one, where the ceasefire is observed by the sides without any help from outside,” Minister Ohanyan said, adding that “we can resolve all the problems under our own steam.”
As to Artsakh war veterans, the minister said, they will always be inseparable part of Armenian armed forces and will defend the homeland in case of necessity. He described the communication between the servicemen and veterans as “extremely important and strengthening the morale of the army.”
“Azerbaijan is continuously preparing for war and Armenia should be ready to counteract anytime,” Ohanyan said.
He also said that during the recent day, the Armenian servicemen prevented over 20 cross-border attacks by the Azeri forces, Panorama.am reported.
Meanwhile, according to Raz.info, Minister Ohanyan also touched upon the upcoming Russia-hosted meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents and its impact on the current situation.
According to him, Azerbaijan is trying to escalate tensions before the talks and will hardly fully observe the ceasefire afterwards.
“That’s why Artsakh army should always be on alert,” he said.
As to the possibility to request assistance of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Minister Ohanyan said there is no need for that at the moment.