In terms of combat readiness of the army, the incumbent government of Armenia has things to boast about, but there are some things that can’t be made public. This is what Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in his speech at the pan-Armenian rally devoted to national unity in Stepanakert today.

“I’m not going to go into detail about the talks over the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) issue today because I have nothing to add to the statements that I have made to this point, including today’s statement. What I declared during the joint session of the Security Councils of Armenia and Artsakh held in Stepanakert on March 12 of this year and in my interview with Radio Azatutyun on July 17 (I’m referring to the part about the Artsakh issue), remain and will always remain the axis of our actions in the process of negotiations over the Artsakh issue,” he said.

Pashinyan said even though the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is of pivotal significance, the security of Artsakh through ongoing increase of the combat readiness of the armed forces remains an absolute priority.

“The vision for having an efficient army must be a stimulus, not an obstacle for our economy. This is exactly why Armenia’s government established the Ministry of High Technological Industry, the strategic objective of which is to make the needs for security become the driving force for our economic development,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan voiced hope that the governments of Armenia and Artsakh will be able to solve the housing issues of servicemen by the year 2023 and added that the slogan “Armenia is my hearth, the people are my family” must be the slogan that will push every Armenian forward.