We Have Suffered Territorial Losses in April; The Military-Political Situation Has Not Changed - Tonoyan

You are asking for a political assessment from me. The April actions concluded with some territorial losses, but there has been no military-political change. This was stated today, August 28, by Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan during a conversation with reporters in the National Assembly, in response to a question of whether the Armenian side won the April four-day war.

In response to whether these losses are enough to assert that we did not win, he replied, "I do not assert this, nor do I claim that we have won. As the Minister of Defense, I am in favor of winning." Regarding the parliamentary inquiry commission investigating the circumstances of the April war, he said: "The commission has done significant work in clarifying the circumstances; when the commission report is available, then ask your questions. The Ministry of Defense has conducted a very detailed analysis and provided answers to many questions. Moreover, there has been significant self-criticism. I believe there will not be much difference. Simply put, our self-criticism may become public in some respects, in others, not."

When asked whether the lost positions had military and strategic importance, the minister said, "All positions are militarily significant in general. The positions address tactical issues because these positions are those of a platoon, a squad."