I Came to Provide Assistance One Month Before the War, But David Tonoyan Did Not Even Meet Me: 'Iravunk'

The newspaper 'Iravunk' reports that in an interview regarding the border tensions and possible consequences, Norat Ter-Grigoryants, a general-lieutenant of the USSR and Armenia, who held the highest positions in the Ministry of Defense during the 1990s and currently resides in Russia, shared his opinion.

“I am surprised that the Armenian authorities treat Aliyev's statements with laughter, saying he is mad and rambling. He is not mad; he is preparing the international community with his statements to resume large-scale military operations. Yes, do not be surprised, he was preparing for the Artsakh war with the same success and mechanisms, and it was not by chance that the international community only called for restraint on the level of statements for 44 days. Do not underestimate Azerbaijan's diplomacy; they first prepare the ground for the ears of the international community before moving on to concrete actions. Only Russia consistently stands by the Armenian people. Although the Armenian authorities have played a double game in recent years regarding their strategic partner, Russia has always been at its height. I agree with the views that yes, the CSTO also acted with double standards, but there are reasons for that. Let us not forget the loud blow that the Armenian authorities dealt to that structure by recalling Khachaturov in that manner.

- Mr. General, what can you say about the new Minister of Defense?

- I do not know Arshak Karapetyan personally, but his bold orders inspire hope that the borders will be decisively protected. Let us see; time will tell how words correspond to action.

- Meanwhile, Pashinyan speaks of peace. How realistic is the implementation of such an agreement in this situation?

- Until the border issues are resolved, one cannot speak of a peace agreement. How can we talk about peace now when Aliyev has appetites for Sevan and Zangezur? If we talk about peace now, it means we agree with Aliyev that Zangezur and Sevan belong to them with words. It is necessary to solve the border problems without delay and then talk about peace if such a thing is realistic at all.

- Doesn’t David Tonoyan bear any responsibility for the current situation and the disgraceful defeat?

- David Tonoyan is one of the first treacherous scoundrels. When I came to provide assistance one month before the war to neutralize possible challenges, he did not even accept me. With his action, he committed a crime against the entire Armenian nation because I could have made the right observations and helped in such a way that there could not even be talk of a fight. But he did not accept me, and you all know what happened a month later. Tonoyan either did not understand the importance of the issue while I could have collaborated in many matters for both the army and Armenia's interests; or he simply did not want to, fearing that I would not allow them to carry out their plans.”

For more details, see today’s issue of the newspaper.