Narek Karapetyan, a member of the council of the Strong Armenia party, said the military parade held in Republic Square was part of the election campaign aimed at demonstrating that the authorities had managed to purchase weapons.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to the Sardarapat memorial complex, Karapetyan said future authorities would be able to obtain weapons more effectively and at a lower cost.
“I am confident that the next authorities will receive weapons as gifts or purchase them very cheaply, and Armenia will have a serious security system where the weapons are fully compatible with one another,” Karapetyan stated, according to Aysor.am .
He added that military experts would explain that Armenia’s current arsenal lacks compatibility between different systems, which could create major problems.
Commenting on U.S. President Donald Trump’s public support for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Karapetyan said he expects Washington’s position to change after a change of government.
“Trump is the leader of a friendly country. I am confident that after the political change he will support Samvel Karapetyan,” he said, according to Panorama.am.
Addressing Pashinyan’s statements about remaining in the Eurasian Economic Union while also moving toward the European Union, Karapetyan argued that such policies are negatively affecting agriculture.
“They are not telling farmers that because of their policies, crops may remain unsold and spoil. Farmers are suffering losses worth millions of drams. Relations with traditional allies must be improved in order to maintain balance,” he stated.
Karapetyan also stressed the importance of preserving Armenian national identity.
“We must preserve the Armenian character of Armenia. That is our main task right now — to develop the country and create conditions so our compatriots return and the population grows,” he said.
Yerevan hosted a military parade dedicated to the Day of the First Republic of Armenia, held for the first time in the past decade. The parade featured weapons and military equipment acquired from Russia, India, France, Iran, China and other countries. Most of the systems were displayed publicly for the first time, including TOS-1 heavy flamethrower systems, Russian-made Pole-21 electronic warfare systems, as well as Indian-made Pinaka rocket systems, ATAGS towed howitzers, MArG artillery systems, Akash missile systems and anti-tank weapons.
The previous military parade in the Armenian capital was held on September 21, 2016, marking the 25th anniversary of independence.
