YEREVAN. – The best security guarantee for a country is relying on its own strength, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia, Shavarsh Kocharyan, said at a press conference on Wednesday.

He noted this commenting on Azerbaijan’s negotiations toward procurement of new weapons.

“Defeated is the nation that links its security to another—albeit even the closest—state,” noted the Armenian deputy FM.

He added, however, that this does not at all mean that Armenia disregards the importance of cooperation with other countries.

“Balance [of power] is not only the quantity of weapons,” stated Kocharyan. “Other factors, most importantly, the human spirit, naturally, should be considered. People who are fighting for their land is one thing, it’s another thing when they realize that this land doesn’t belong to them.”

On the other hand, as per the Armenian official, modern weapons cannot be disregarded.

“In recent times, Azerbaijan had made efforts [to purchase new weapons], and there was a need to balance the situation,” said the deputy FM. “The bad [thing] is that this brings forth a new arms race.”

But, in his words, there are two ways out of this situation: either the resumption of Karabakh peace talks and signing of a resultant agreement, or Azerbaijan resorting to military means. 

“In my view, the likelihood of the second option is gradually reducing,” noted Shavarsh Kocharyan. And as the main respective proof, he pointed to the reduction in the flow of petrodollars to Azerbaijan.

“But at any rate, knowing who we [i.e. Armenia] are dealing with, it’s indispensable to always be vigilant,” added the Armenian deputy FM.