ArmInfo. The language reflected in a recent statement by Armenian Defense Minister David Tonoyan fully fits into the constructive stance of Yerevan regarding the settlement of the Artsakh conflict, expert on regional issues Karen Veranyan expressed such an opinion to ArmInfo.
On March 30, at a meeting with the Armenian community in New York, Armenian Defense Minister David Tonoyan reformulated the formula of "territory for peace" for "new war - new territories" formula. Noting that there will be no concessions to Azerbaijan, the minister did not rule out the possibility of compromises. "Armenia will increase the number of offensive units. We will abandon this trench, constantly defensive situation. We will increase the number of units capable of transferring military operations to the enemy's territory," Tonoyan said.
"This position is known - the Armenian side continues to see the settlement of the conflict exclusively in line with peace and mutual concessions. On the other hand, with the help of Tonoyan, Yerevan sends Baku a clear message about significantly more serious consequences than there were in April 2016 for Azerbaijan in case of adventurous tricks by Ilham Aliyev, "the expert stressed. In this sense, the statement of the Minister of Defense of Armenia, according to Veranyan, is nothing more than a preventive call for restraint, by and large, aimed at maintaining stability on the line of contact between Artsakh and Azerbaijani forces. Thus, according to the expert, this statement should be viewed exclusively in a political plane, in the context of the current impulses of the negotiation process.
A regular statement issued by the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan on April 3 stated that the statement by Armenian Defense Minister David Tonoyan "new war for new territories" calls into question the long-term negotiation process and the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs on the Karabakh conflict settlement. "The recent statements and actions of the leadership of Armenia, including the presentation of the new wording, are absolutely unacceptable. We believe that such actions do not go along with the meeting in Vienna of the leaders of the two countries and the joint statement adopted on its basis," the statement reads.