YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian paid tribute to the Armenian Armed Forces on Thursday, saying, in a thinly veiled warning to Azerbaijan, that they would successfully fight back any military attack on Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
“Today we are strong, stronger than ever; our army is solid, modern and capable of fulfilling any task,” Sarkisian told hundreds of graduates of Armenian military academies. “It has passed with honor the exam of not only war, but peace as well, embodying the victorious spirit of all Armenians.”
“To those who threaten us with a war, we are reminding the biblical message: ‘For all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword,’” he said. “The irrefutable truth of these words has been proved by the best sons of our nation, the generation of our fathers, my generation. Let no one doubt that if necessary, the same will happen today as well.”
It was an obvious response to Azerbaijani leaders’ regular threats to take Nagorno-Karabakh and the liberated territories by force. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly told his nation to be prepared for war “at any moment.”
A native of Karabakh, Sarkisian played a prominent role in the Karabakh conflict of 1991-1994, commanded Karabakh defense forces before moving to Yerevan and becoming Armenia’s defense minister in 1993. He also served as defense minister from 2000-2007.
Sarkisian addressed the army college graduates after they solemnly received their first military ranks and paraded in Yerevan’s main Republic Square on the occasion. The high-profile ceremony was also attended by other top government officials and the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Garegin II.
What a beautiful picture of the junior officers. They are my heros.
Ayo now he’s talking.
Oh, finally he is saying something back to turks what should be done long before and every time when someone trying to suggest all these stupid ideas about returning back to where all started.
We need to demand more than we have and not to return what we took that belongs to us anyway.
Mr Sarkisian,
If you were aware that our fathers, our past generation and our forfathers fought with their lives to protect our county, our land and our people, then why did you put us in a place where we can’t get out without a war? You knew very well that by agreeing to get into friendly (fake) talks with Azeris nothing would get accomplished and the failed agreements show that..
Now you are praising those young lives who will put themselves in front of gunfire to protect yet another harsh war that may come upon us because our government did not take the precautionary actions to prevent it from happening.
Do not preach peace when you caused the may happen any moment war.
G
LONG LIFE TO ARMENIA ARMY, THE DEMOCRATIC ARMY SERVING THE PEACE AND THE SAFETY OF THE HAY PEOPLE!
ITALY IS WITH DEMOCRATIC AND CHRISTIAN ARMENIA.
WE -ITALIANS- SUPPORT THE PEACEFUL AND SAFE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR ARMENIAN CHRISTIAN BROTHERS.
WE PAY A TRIBUTE OF HONOUR TO ALL ARMENIANS HEROES (JAN FEDAIY) WHO PERISHED IN THE PAST TO DEFEND THE ANCIENT LAND OF ARMENIAN, DESCENDANT OF URARTU KINGDOM, AND THE FIRST CHRISTIAN COUNTRY OF THE WORLD!
GLORY TO ARMENIA!
weve been waiting for a replay like this long time ago,let them start a war and,so this time we put end of azerbedjian bullshit claims
yes let them start a war . this their back will be broken for good.
Thats very good BUT dont forget that azeries are also more ready than ever and they have more arms than us and this last 5 years they did much money with the oil and they bought arms that we, arminians dont have.
And USA->Israel->Turkey->Azerbaijan line is still in need to be broken.
aren’t the Armenian capable to fight more than the afganis . Why can’t America win in Afganistan
lero torosian and lets not forget that in 1988 azeris were 3times more than us with turkish help
and we still beat them in the war i know what iam talking about my dad was in that war also