Armenian president: There are all possible scenarios on my table

“We believe that the right way is conduct negotiations and reach agreements on the basis of the well-known principles, which is possible only if the ceasefire is observed and confidence bridges are built. Nothing has ever come and will come out of burning the bridges,’ Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said at the meeting of the Board under Armenian defense minister and the festive sitting dedicated to the 23rd anniversary of the formation of the Armenian Army.

“I reiterate: we are prepared for both the good and the bad. There are all the possible scenarios on my table. We can and must conduct peace talks with a sober-minded partner. But we must and will compel a not sober-minded partner to peace,” the president said.

According to him, the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border was tense in early 2015.

“No one doubts that Azerbaijani have paid and will pay dearly for our every casualty. Response actions followed and will follow each incident. Until recently our response actions were symmetric in form and asymmetric in terms of losses. Now responses may become asymmetric in their form, too.  Hotheads should wait for surprises. Moreover, in case of large and dangerous amassment at our borders and along the Line of Contact, we reserve the right to pre-emptive strikes. The enemy’s adventurism will cause us to follow a path of causing irreversible damage,’ the Armenian president said.

“We do not provoke incidents, and we have no reason to unleash a war. We do not need it.  We understand that Azerbaijani leadership is ready to send hundreds and thousands of soldiers to death only to ensure their own seats. We cannot allow such a thing to happen at the cost of our soldiers’ lives,” Serzh Sargsyan said.

In his words, by provoking border incidents, Azerbaijan tries to show the international community what may happen if its demands are not met.

“It is a blackmail policy. Every time when a problem arises in Armenia or a tragic incident occurs, it seems to Azerbaijan that its hour of triumph has come and it starts showing its worth on the frontline. To no awail. We saw all this 25 years ago when we imposed our superiority on them. Today we are stronger. We are strong as never before,” the Armenian president stated.