Seyran Ohanyan: We Can Impose Peace

• 03.09.2015, 12:50
•  Armenia,  Interview

Սեյրան Օհանյան, ՀՀ Պաշտպանության նախարար

"Armedia" Information, Analytical Agency presents an exclusive interview with the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, Seyran Ohanyan.

- Given the tension on the Armenian-Azerbaijani borders and the existing situation, do you consider it a possible option "to create" a security zone along the RA borders, out of the RA territory?

-   Once a buffer zone was created in NKR to secure the physical safety of the society and now we do not need to be presented as an aggressor once more. This is, of course, a joke. In fact, the incidents of sabotages, bombing our settlements, even targeting people’s homes by snipers from the Azerbaijani side have increased. Such behavior contradicts to all the rules of international humanitarian and armed conflict rights and should meet the addressed condemnation of the international community. In the arsenal of both sides of conflict there are various means that can fire the unprotected settlements. However, it is only the Armenian side that is more civilized not only in regard with supporting peaceful settlement of the conflict, being more restrained in its rhetoric, but also in regard with its behavior on the frontline. 

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-   The RA president recently declared that the RA "in case of larger and more threatening accumulation of forces across the borders and the line of contact," reserve the right to commit a preemptive strike. Is there already a need for such strikes?

-   Since the ceasefire signed in 1994 we have chosen the option of peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through negotiations. With the aforementioned agreement the sides have committed themselves to come to the final peaceful settlement of the conflict using the negotiation format. However, during the recent 20 years the Azerbaijani military-political leadership tries to distract the attention of the international community and its own society from various problems existing in its own country violating the ceasefire in different ways. In this regard I should mention that since July 2014 the Azerbaijani side has demonstrated unprecedented activity in the contact zone of the Armenian-Azerbaijani armed forces; the activities that intensified even more in the first months of this year. The response of the Armenian side is usually very tough and the opponent is being severely punished in case of such harassment. As a result of relevant activities of the Armenian armed forces the opponent is not only having substantial losses, but also its military equipment is being destroyed. The Azerbaijani side loyal to its traditions does not immediately inform about the losses in its armed forces to its society; Azerbaijan does it with disinformation through the distortion of facts not refraining even from the most detestable lies. Today the commanders and officers with an experience gained in the contact line and trained in various educational institutions abroad are responsible for the combat readiness of the army. Therefore, we can impose peace. And imposing, as you understand, supposes both passive and active actions. Finally, it would be a real madness to sit with crossed hands and wait, when you see, that there is an immediate threat of attack against you.

- The opponent speaks a lot about the purchase of military equipment and in that regard about its superiority over the Armenian side. How much do these claims correspond to the reality?

- One thing is to purchase, another thing how these purchases effect the balance of power. I cannot deny the fact that Azerbaijan, on the regional scale spends huge number of petrodollars on purchasing armament and military equipment. However, I would put a big question mark on the Azerbaijani claims of having superiority over the collective potential of the RA armed forces and the Artsakh Defense Army. Military power is a combination of factors, where armament is only one component, sometimes of not decisive importance. The other components are the skills of the military personnel, the fighting spirit, and the used art of combating; at last the will of the people in fighting a war and sacrificing.  I assure that in this collective spectrum Azerbaijan cannot boast of having advantage over us and the truth of this claim is explained by our ability to deter, undermine and neutralize the assaultive actions of the opponent on the front line.

-   The agreement on the deployment of the Russian military base in Armenia allows the units of the 102^nd base be involved in the protection of the Armenia’s external borders. Do you consider the involvement of the Russian armed forces in the activities taking place on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border possible?

Russia is Armenia’s strategic ally, which has some commitments for supporting the military security of our country – a component of which is the 102^nd Russian base in the territory of the RA. Moreover, the two countries are founding members of the same organization – CSTO, hence they have mutual commitments in the format of multilateral relations.  I cannot say whether the 102^nd military base serves as a restraining factor for Azerbaijan not to start a war or not, but I can assure that it is  long time since  the headquarters of the Armenian and Russian armed forces are implementing co-operative planning for confronting any possible military operation against Armenia. In this framework the involvement of the 102^nd military base has its special place.

At the same time, I should say that military planning is one thing while political decision is another. Therefore, military intervention by the Russian side in case of Azerbaijani possible aggression against Armenia will depend on the political decision of the leadership of the Russian Federation.

-   Mr. Ohanyan, recently you met the CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha. During the meeting further plans of development of the CSTO military component was also discussed. What steps to expect in this context?

-   During the recent years in the framework of CSTO our "allied interests" are basically focused on the improvement of the collective security mechanisms, in terms of both operative and combat training and improving the legal framework. In all this the "Collective Rapid Reaction Forces" play a significant role,  in the context of which the provision of enough amount of the armament for the Armenian component is one of our priorities. In 2014 the annual plan of the joint events on military and operative readiness was successfully implemented. The RA armed forces and observers have participated in the "Rubezh", "Cooperation" and in "Indestructible Brotherhood" joint military exercises.

The CSTO Secretary of General once again assured that the organization does not welcome military solution of the problems in the region.  Organization's basic stance is to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict peacefully, based primarily on the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group.

In 2015 in the framework of active cooperation with the CSTO, military exercise of the CSTO member states’ peacekeeping forces will take place in Armenia. During this exercises we will try to turn the cooperation and the harmonization of actions of the participant country units into a real "Indestructible Brotherhood", so as the friendship and the communication between the servicemen continue beyond the exercises.

-   The RA armed forces are engaged in international peacekeeping missions. Will this engagement remain also in the future?

-   As you rightly pointed out, we pay great attention to peacekeeping missions and are not going to decrease the volume of our participation in such an important thing. At the moment we have two military contingents comprised of 121 soldiers in Afghanistan – in the military bases of Mazar-e Sharif "Camp Marmal" and of Kabul "Kessab". 35 Armenian peacekeepers are serving in Kosovo – in the "Bondsteel" camp near the city Uroševac. In November of the last year 33 soldiers were send to serve in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNFIL) peacekeeping mission.

  With the feeling of gratefulness to our American, German and Italian counterparts for their comprehensive support in providing strategic deployment and logistics, I want to mention that Armenian peacekeepers will be available in different continent to perform peacekeeping missions so far as their engagement in such missions will save human lives, will soothe wounds and will contribute to the establishment of lasting stability and security.

-   Mr. Ohanyan, according to you what are the prospects of the Armenian-NATO cooperation?

-   The cooperation with NATO which is being implemented in the framework of Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) and the Planning and Review Process (PRAP), aims at the development of operative compatibility for the sake of having contribution in international security and at supporting reforms in the RA security and defense sectors. In April 2014 the RA-NATO 2014 Partnership Document of Objectives of the Planning and Review Process was agreed. In the new PRAP such partnership objectives as "Gender Perspectives" and "Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health" were added. The new document of the RA-NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) was agreed. In the new IPAP notable changes are the additions of such objectives as the new phase of the Strategic Defense Review (SDR), the cooperation with NATO Trust Fund on safe destruction of surplus and obsolete landmines, weapons and munitions, changing the National Strategic Research Institute after D. Kanayan into National Defense Research Institute. An important direction of NATO-RA cooperation is also peacekeeping mission. As I already mentioned, our peacekeepers continue serving in the NATO-led missions (Afghanistan, Kosovo).