YEREVAN.- A peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is and will remain Armenia’s priority for as long as necessary to arrive at a final solution, President Serzh Sargsyan said.

“At the same time, we will consistently work to enhance the level of our security. We do not underestimate any international dimension here; we are grateful to all those who contribute to maintaining regional stability, but we must rely on our own power, first and foremost. In the event of possible adverse developments, the importance of deterring the adversary and preserving peace are beyond discussion,” Sargsyan said during the inauguration ceremony on Tuesday.

He noted that Armenian authorities have never terrorized their own people with war.

“Moreover, we have never used this issue as an excuse to gag the opposition. However, we deemed it our duty to earnestly and realistically state that such a threat does exist.

Irresponsible people and those who have never experienced war, may turn the possibility of war into a subject for cynical and sordid profiteering. I am not one of them: I know what it takes to lose a friend or experience the bliss of victory. I fretted over every soldier’s life, every inch of the native land. Therefore, through the vote of confidence vested in me by the people of Armenia, I declare: We do not want war but, at the same time, we are ready to withstand any challenge. I reiterate this for slow learners: any challenge.”