Victory or defeat is as follows: What objective have you set? And were you able to fulfill your objective? President Serzh Sargsyan told Armenian journalists on the way back from Vienna.
The Armenian and the Azerbaijani delegations as well as the foreign ministers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group Co-Chair countries (Russia, US, and France) on Monday conducted multilateral meetings in the Austrian capital city.
Sargsyan stated the aforesaid in response to the query on how is it that both Armenia and Azerbaijan are speaking about victory after the hostilities in early April.
“I have set a clear task of not allowing the penetration into and destruction of the [Armenian military] front; that is, to thwart the adversary’s [i.e. Azerbaijan’s] plans. I believe all of you are convinced that they [i.e. the Azerbaijani plans] have failed,” the Armenian President said. “They [i.e. the Armenian armed forces] have performed the task that was set before them.
“We don’t need armed forces that will go for an ‘adventure.’ (…) We need armed forces which perform their task.”
Reflecting on the “lost territories,” the President of Armenia urged to grasp whether these territories have a strategic or a psychological importance for the Armenian side.
“The Armenian [armed] forces, which had 800 thousand hectares as security zone, have lost around 800 hectares. (…) These territories have no importance strategically, or tactically,” Sargsyan stated. “[But] purely psychologically, yes, the Azerbaijanis can convince their people that they have achieved some results.
“But I want you to compare the 800 hectares, and let’s assume one casualty, two wounded for each hectare. (…) But even if half a casualty, one wounded, they are a lot again. Compare, see how many casualties they [i.e. the Azerbaijani army] would give to seize those 800 thousand hectares.
“Our armed forces had the capability to restore that status quo. [But] it was a matter of choice: Was it worth it to sacrifice another 35 to 40, or 80 more patriot boys for those 800 hectares?”
