DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
November 30, 2007 Friday
ARMEN ASHOTJAN OF THE PARLIAMENT OF ARMENIA COMMENTS ON THE WORDS OF
AZERBAIJANI DEFENSE MINISTER
"The Armenian state is strong enough to launch a deserving answer to
any attempt to encroach on the sovereignty and integrity of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Armenia itself," Armen Ashotjan of the
National Assembly (parliament) of Armenia (faction of the ruling
Republican Party) said commenting on Azerbaijani Defense Minister
Safar Abiyev’s words concerning another war that "is almost 100%
assured." "They harbor illusions that we have the elections
approaching in Armenia and that makes us too busy to rally against
the external threat," Ashotjan said. "Thinking so is a mistake. The
Armenian people, state, and leadership always have the resources to
deal with attempts to encroach on sovereignty and integrity of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Armenia." Ashotjan added that unlike
the Azerbaijani, the Armenian Armed Forces knew that there was no
strength in numbers and was therefore capitalizing on quality of
military hardware rather than on quantity. The lawmaker assumed that
investments in Azerbaijani economy by transnational oil corporations
were an additional guarantee of non-aggression on the part of Baku.
"These investments cost Azerbaijan independence and the ability to
promote its own foreign policy. After all, the hostilities will have
an immediate effect on productiveness of the export pipelines
Azerbaijan counts on," Ashotjan said.
Source: Novosti Armenii, November 28, 2007
Translated by A. Ignatkin