Having an army is the sovereign right of any state. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this during his press conference Friday—addressing the question of whether Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev's demand that Armenia return the weapons it purchased from other countries is acceptable for Armenia.

"Do we [Armenia] have territorial claims against any of our neighbors? No, we do not have territorial claims against any of our neighbors. Moreover, I have said publicly, and once again I officially record that the only task of the Armenian army is the protection and security of the sovereign territory of Armenia. The Armenian army does not have and will not have any other task.

Now, a question: are there territories that are within the 29,743 square kilometers of Armenia's territory, but are not under Armenia's control now? Does what I said mean that the Armenian army is going carry out a task to attack and to militarily restore our sovereignty over more than 200 square kilometers of territory? No, it does not mean that. The Armenian army does not and will not have such a task. Why? Because we already have a signed, de jure border delimitation document with legal force, which is a binding document for both Armenia and Azerbaijan. It says there that the basic principle of border delimitation between Armenia and Azerbaijan is the Alma Ata Declaration,” the Armenian premier stated.

And to the question whether this demand is acceptable to Armenia now, Pashinyan responded: “You know, if I enter into a yes or no, it means that I am discussing this issue. I am not discussing this issue. I am saying: the Republic of Armenia has the right to have its own armed forces and the obligation to ensure the external security of its citizens.

Another circumstance, moreover: does Azerbaijan have concerns or questions related to Armenia’s armament? We also have questions related to Azerbaijan’s armament. We have proposed, including in written form, to create joint mechanisms for mutual arms control and investigation of border incidents, and these mechanisms also imply mechanisms for mutual overseeing of military activities in border areas. We have officially given this proposal [to Azerbaijan], and we are ready to move forward in that direction."