Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces Onik Gasparyan provided details
Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia Onik Gasparyan issued a statement stating that the statement on ending the war in Nagorno-Karabakh under very difficult conditions was adopted as a result of a comprehensive assessment of the situation.
“Dear compatriots, comrades-in-arms.
The Armenian Armed Forces honorably accepted the war unleashed by Azerbaijan, its ally Turkey and the mercenary terrorists involved on 27 September, 2020, and did everything possible and impossible for them from the very first seconds of the war. The Armenian soldier fought selflessly, fought to the death.
Some politicians accuse the leadership of the armed forces of presenting an unrealistic analysis to the head of state on the probable nature of the enemy’s actions and the capabilities of its armed forces. This does not correspond to reality!
I was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces this year. On 8 June, I presented the analysis of the military-political situation in the region and the capabilities of our armed forces to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, and a few days later to the Security Council.
Based on the analysis, I have made proposals to increase the level of military security in the country. In particular, I mentioned that.
- Our opponent is not only Azerbaijan, but also Turkey. Therefore, Armenia cannot effectively resist the combined military potential of these states; it is necessary to direct all the political and diplomatic potential to avoid or at least postpone the war.
- The proposal was accepted by the Security Council and the Prime Minister, but the question was asked: “And what should we do in case we cannot avoid war?” I replied that in the war that was imposed on us, we should try to inflict heavy losses on the enemy as soon as possible and force it to refrain from further actions. I have mentioned that we must avoid a long war, given the availability of our resources. Numerous proposals were discussed and approved, the implementation of which should have significantly increased our combat potential. It referred to the acquisition of armaments and military equipment, to the comprehensive provision of hostilities.
- At that time, the issue of forming world militia units with a staff of one hundred thousand was raised.
However, we could not avoid the war? The Defense Army successfully repulsed all enemy attacks, inflicting heavy losses, destroying a large number of manpower and military equipment. Unfortunately, our troops suffered heavy losses.
On the fourth day of the war, during the Security Council meeting, I presented our losses and the assessment of the situation in the armed forces, noting that it is necessary to take measures to stop the war in two or three days, otherwise our resources will be exhausted in a short time. We will have more unfavorable conditions for the negotiation process in the coming days.
I have presented similar assessments many times during my round-the-clock work with the Prime Minister, as well as during the sittings of the Security Council.
All attempts to stop the war at a certain stage and the proposals were rejected by Turkey and Azerbaijan and we were forced to continue combat activities, trying to inflict heavy losses on the enemy and force it to sit at the negotiating table.
The statement on very difficult terms for all of us was adopted as a result of a comprehensive assessment of the situation. We had to choose between the ‘very bad’ and the ‘tragedy’. We preferred the very bad.
That day was the worst day of my life, a personal tragedy for me…
But the realization that as a result of that decision we managed to preserve most of Artsakh, the main military potential of the Defense Army, says that we have no right to be depressed. We must unite, recover quickly, and prepare for the continuation of the struggle.
As Chief of General Staff and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, I am responsible for all the successes and failures of the Armed Forces.
I bow my head in memory of all the martyrs and in front of their relatives. A very fierce war was imposed on us, and in an unequal struggle, the Armenian soldier and officer showed the determination to fight to the end and the highest moral qualities.
This was a real Heroic Battle and a Survival Battle… The Armenian nation can be proud of its soldier, officer and general.
Fellow soldiers,
We must not despair and we must continue to defend our homeland, seriously analyze, investigate, rebuild the Armenian army, and increase its combat effectiveness.
Thank you for your dedicated service. Let us unwaveringly carry out the fulfillment of our military tasks with high consciousness and responsibility, let us be worthy of the devotion of our comrades-in-arms and consecrated martyrs with our unity and unbreakable will.”
