We cannot give any guarantees that our borders are sufficiently protected. The second President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, mentioned this during a meeting with his supporters. To note, this meeting took place on Wednesday.

According to him, in fact, first of all the borders should be protected by one’s own army, armed forces; in general, by one’s own security system.

"Now the [Armenian] authorities are talking about the fact that Russia has an obligation—under a bilateral treaty—as our military-political ally to protect us. Yes, it does. But what does a military-political ally mean? It means that you have an army, it has an army, you [both] have a treaty, you create a military alliance in which you participate with your army, Russia—with its army. All member countries within the framework of the CSTO participate in this alliance, each with its own army. If in Armenia they think that they can disband the army, have an army with some incomprehensible gatherings every five years for three months—you cannot. For example, it is a mandatory norm for NATO member countries to spend 2% of the GDP on defense issues; this is a military-political alliance.

If your army is not combat-ready, if the state of your army is what we have today, it means that we [Armenia] need to say, ‘We are not able to protect ourselves, Russia must protect [us.]’ So, you change your status, say, ‘I am asking for a protectorate,’ sign another treaty, say, ‘I do not need an army,’ or ‘There is no such danger,’ or ‘I do not have the strength, come and defend me,’" Kocharyan stated.

 He expressed a conviction that Armenia must restore its capabilities and army at a very fast pace. "Otherwise, this military-political alliance is meaningless because one party does not invest enough to join this alliance. Six months have passed [since the recent Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)]. Have you heard any discussions in the National Assembly on our security issues? Have you seen any government decision regarding our armed forces? They are talking about some incomprehensible reforms," the ex-President said.

Kocharyan recalled that in the spring or summer of 2020 the concept for Armenia’s security was adopted, where the word “Artsakh Republic” does not exist. "This war took place a few months later, no changes have been made to that document. Nothing is being done about security issues today.

Yes, we [Armenia] have Russia, which has an obligation [to us] under the treaty. But if we do not fulfill our part of the obligation, then it is a big question whether or not our security is guaranteed. That is why the president of Azerbaijan makes such statements because he sees what is happening in the country [i.e., Armenia], sees our situation, and says whatever he wants, violates our dignity as he pleases."