Yerevan /Mediamax/. Armenian Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan stated that "the Armenian side may not resist the "temptation” to use its full arsenal for a decisive large-scale counterattack against the rival”.

“We are especially concerned about the activation of Azerbaijani armed forces in Nakhijevan direction, where relative peace has prevailed before. Any expression of military provocation in this region is fraught with escalation of a major crisis, which will affect other regional players as well,” Minister Tonoyan said in an interview (in Russian) to EADaily.

“Taking into consideration the constructive position of Armenia, I wouldn’t like to make an impression that Armenia is only asking for peace. I advise the Azerbaijani side not to be so sure about their ability to control the escalation of military situation. We do not foresee a scenario, according to which mediators will be able to persuade Armenia to stop punitive actions, in case Azerbaijan attacks. If the April 2016 aggression repeats, Armenia may not resist the “temptation” to use its full arsenal for a decisive large-scale counterattack against the rival,” Davit Tonoyan said.

“Azerbaijan will not be granted the monopoly to define the place, time and scale of escalation,” Minister Tonoyan emphasized.

Commenting on Azerbaijan’s acquisition of modern armaments, Davit Tonoyan said that “every military weapon has a countermeasure, and the Armenian side isn’t simply watching the situation.”

“Nonetheless, we are concerned about the sources of the mentioned weapons. It is annoying to see how Armenia’s allies and partners sell weapons to the country, which comes up with territorial claims not only for certain territories, but also for the capital of Armenia, which means Azerbaijan threatens the existence of our state. As mediators of the settlement of NK issue, Co-Chair countries of OSCE Minsk Group should avoid selling offensive weapons to Azerbaijan, since there is only one question at the end of the day: why do you need to destroy the military balance between the conflicting sides and then put efforts to restore it?” Armenian Defense Minister concluded.