The "Fact" daily writes:
Exclusive interview of "Fact" daily with the leader of the "Pan-Armenian Front" movement, former Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, Major General Arshak Karapetyan.
-Mr. Karapetyan, how do you assess Armenia's security today?
- Armenia is on the verge of war. There is no need to be a military figure or great knowledge to understand what we are in dangerous condition. Azerbaijan is buying new weapons, recently bought new fighters for $ 4.7 billion. Meanwhile, the President of Azerbaijan accuses Armenia that we allegedly buy weapons from India or France and are going to attack them. The reality is that there are shootings every day at the border, and Azerbaijan and Turkey are holding military exercises every day. Only the blind may not see it and not listen to it. The border situation is hidden. But we must record, the real danger comes from ignoring all this.
-How do you assess the current state of the Armenian Armed Forces?
- Unfortunately, the armed forces are not ready, they are not equipped. Most of the contracts come out of the service. This is a very dangerous trend. The weakening of the army can be a result of both poor management and conscious personnel policy. Today we have a situation when young people leaving the army are directly directed to the police. This is already a deliberate decision of the government, weakening the army, instead of strengthening the administrative pressure tool, the police.
-At the level of foreign policy, what makes you especially worried?
- Russia and Iran are the only forces restraining Azerbaijan today. No one else can prevent Azerbaijan's aggression. But what do we witness? Relations with Russia are emergency, with Iran, uncertain. There is no idea of clarifying relations with Iran. In the past, I have said that other players entering our region are fraught with the danger of war. Today we are witnessing my prediction. Serious dangers in the region are maturing. Israel has already hit Iran's territory, high-ranking commanders were killed. This is a huge risk for the whole region, including Armenia. But Nikol Pashinyan's regime has no strategic response to these developments. In this context, it should be noted that the presence of a Russian military base in our country is a very serious security factor for Armenia.
-We would like to listen to your assessment of the domestic political field.
- Pashinyan is trying to build a false field of opposition. It is convenient for himself to oppose only the second and third presidents. Then he hits the Church, and they, in turn, protect the church, showing them that they are opposition. This is an old performance. The real opposition must consist of sincere and decisive people. Of the people who are independent and have nothing to do with the scenes of the former and those present. Such force can beat Pashinyan.
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Recently, the Church has been targeted for the authorities. Your position.
- I like the behavior of the Catholicos of All Armenians. No one can overthrow himself if he does not want to. No one in the world will receive Pashinyan's Fake Catholicos. When I was a defense minister, I called Catholicos and congratulated him. And after that I had a very tough conversation with Pashinyan. I tried to explain that the Catholicos is a symbol that should be respect for the symbols. But in vain. An anti-church campaign attempts to distract attention from real problems. No one speaks, for example, to be closed to the border with Georgia. Instead, everyone is watching, what did Nicole say, what did the Fake opposition respond?
-What path did you choose the "Pan-Armenian Front" movement?
- We are going otherwise, with a different program. We will not participate in their "bazaars". We will not interfere with the shows where the former and those present mutually raise each other. The moment will come, and we will be very tough with today's leadership. That moment will come, we are preparing for it. Need an impartial, decisive opposition. The rest are election games.
