Not everything was put on display during the parade - Vagharshak Harutyunyan (video)
“Displaying Iskander and Scud ballistic missiles in a military parade at Republic Square [on September 21] we made Azerbaijan understand what it has already understood,” says Vagharshak Harutyunyan, a former defense minister of Armenia. He says the acquisition of these missiles gives Armenia a political advantage. "This may also have an influence on the situation over the Artsakh issue. Not everything was put on display during the parade,” Mr. Harutyunyan stressed. “Scud missiles can get to the depths of Azerbaijan and destroy two-thirds of the country. Realizing this very fact, Azerbaijani leadership spread information that these missiles do not belong to Armenia,” he added. Asked whether he was sure that Russia, trying to maintain the equilibrium in the region, did not sell to Azerbaijan such missiles or other missile defense systems to fight them back, the former minister said, “We can be confident because Russia does not want war in this region. One of the systems you are speaking about is S-400 [Triumph air defense missile system] which Russia does not sell to other countries.” Asked why Armenia agreed to create a joint air defense system with Russia, if Armenia's air defense system is the best in the region, Mr. Harutyunyan said, “Our air defenses is really strong, we have been cooperating with Russia on this issue since 1992. We have brought S 300 [surface-to-air missile systems] from Russia and our experts are attending free courses in Russia.” In reply to the question why Armenia did not use the missiles in the four-day war in Karabakh, Mr. Harutyunyan said, “If we made a mistake and allowed our army to enter Artsakh and head to Azerbaijan, it would wage a full-scale war.”
