Armenia needs retaliatory weapon to suppress adversary – retired general
Armenia needs to acquire a powerful weapon as a strong retaliatory tool to suppress Azerbaijan, a retired general of the USSR and the Republic of Armenia said, commenting on the recent Armenian-Azerbaijani armed clashes in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“Our army must be equipped and supplied with all weapons of conflict, and be governed on the highest level,” Norat Ter-Grigoryants told our correspondent in a recent interview.
“What I mean is both coordination and reciprocal action, and intelligence, as we are now in a blockade - an aggressive and genocidal blockade - imposed by the armed forces of Turkey, a NATO member state, and Azerbaijan, the second Turkish state, as well as Georgia. And because Armenia, as a state, pursues defensive rather than offensive policies, it needs more defensive weapons. And why not, also nuclear weapons should anyone ever offer us that. That should be a weapon of restraint and retaliation. To make it more clear, Russia has such a weapon, so it is not safeguarded against attacks. That’s what is termed as restraint and retaliation weapon,” he explained.
Asked whether he finds nuclear arms really necessary for Armenia, General Ter-Grigoryants said his message would sound clearer to officers and commanders in the military. “[Armenia needs] any weapon which is for retaliation. The servicemen who will read these words know what it is. That’s not just nuclear arms. The list can expand further and further. So Armenia must receive that weapon. Or it can purchase it by collecting all the available resources. It isn’t possible otherwise, as this situation is going to last endlessly,” he said, calling for further efforts also towards promoting and fostering peace, stability and well-being by creating more jobs in the country to prevent emigration.