Yerevan /Mediamax/. French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu stated today in Yerevan that "no one can be criticized for helping Armenia to develop the army capabilities.”

“If Armenia needs it, short, medium and long-range missiles will also be part of the development of defense capabilities. I won’t go into too much detail about what equipment will come to Armenia, but all of them are of defense significance,” the French minister, who is in Yerevan on an official visit, said during a joint news conference with Armenia’s Defense Minister Suren Papikyan.

He noted that the priority at this moment is the acquisition of weapons and the training of personnel to use them.

“Each time we will proceed from operational needs, which will be presented by our Armenian partners, we will make proposals according to those needs. Helping Armenia defend itself is a priority for us. If Armenia was not under threats, there would have been no need for such discussions,” Lecornu said.

Suren Papikyan noted that Armenia buys weapons and ammunition to protect its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

“I cannot deny that there is a danger that is visible from the rhetoric we hear. Our duty is to protect the country’s territorial integrity,” he said.