YEREVAN—Armenia’s Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan on Tuesday visited Tavush Province where he spoke to servicemen in the military units and inquired about their preparedness, the defense ministry spokesperson Artsrun Hovhannisyan posted on Facebook.
Tonoyan assured the soldiers that the every-day concerns of the military staff are a priority of Armenia’s military-political leadership.
The minister also watched the combat preparedness trainings in the military unit and met with local government officials, with whom he discussed issues unique to municipalities on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.
In an interview with Armenia’s Public Television Channel, Tonoyan spoke about the changing approaches and strategies of combat units, and hinted that if need be, Armenia forces will go on the offensive if provoked.
He said if there is a threat that hostiles will resume, Armenian armed forces will not linger. When asked if that means that the Armenian army will also go on the offensive, Tonoyan replied, “Why not?”
Tonoyan said qualitative changes in the armed forces were necessary. He said the $100 million loan provided by Russia for purchase of arms allows Armenian armed forces to solve the problems without getting involved in a quantitative arms race.
