Former Defense Minister of Armenia Davit Tonoyan, who is now
\nkept in prison, has given an interview to Mediamax.
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When asked what solutions he would propose to address the
\ncurrent situation, Tonoyan said: “It will take at least five years to restore
\nthe morale and the fighting capability of the Armenian Armed Forces, while the
\nArmenian NA elections are due in two and a half years. Now, has the Government
\nassessed risks regarding our foreign and defense policy in the next five to 10
\nyears after the conclusion of the peace treaty or, even more so, in case of not
\nsigning it? I am almost certain that such an assessment has not been
\ndone.
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As Tonoyan noted, he seriously doubts that the RA Government
\nhas assigned the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces with its tasks and
\nobjectives in view of the new “post-Artsakh” conditions.
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“Are the reforms in the defense system going through at good
\nenough a pace? As I can see, it is the conscripts who continue to carry out
\nmilitary duty along the 1000-kilometer long Armenian-Azerbaijani border. I am
\nsure that the “tenfold promotion” of international military and technical
\ncooperation is rather urgent,” he said.
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Tonoyan noted that the RA authorities also have to take into
\naccount the “permanent interests” of Russia, Turkey and Iran in the South
\nCaucasus and the collective West’s “permanent ambitions” in the region.
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“If the current authorities are not able to make such urgent
\ndecisions and have decided to exhaust the remnants of the Armenian nation’s
\nresisting capabilities, then we should hold new elections, allowing the
\nArmenian people to choose the forces to whom they will entrust such issues as
\nensuring the RA security, choosing allies or maintaining neutrality with regard
\nto that choice,” he said.
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