Armenia will not cede any of its declared 29,743 square kilometers during the ongoing border delimitation with Azerbaijan, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Lt. Gen. Edward Asryan, told reporters in parliament on Tuesday, in a wide-ranging briefing in which he pledged to retake occupied land, confirmed that Azerbaijani forces are cutting trees and building positions inside Syunik, defended the government’s new weapons purchases against opposition criticism, called for an air defense independent of Russia, and denied that reserve call-ups are being used to punish opposition supporters.
No Territory Ceded, and a Pledge to Retake Occupied Land
Asryan said the delimitation process rests on a specific historical map that the General Staff also holds, and that a military representative well versed in cartography sits on the delimitation commission. “The delimitation process has a basis, and that basis is the map of a specific year,” he said, ruling out any disagreement on his part because the work follows Armenia’s sovereign state border. He reiterated that not an inch would be surrendered from the 29,743 square kilometers, and said that Armenian territory occupied by Azerbaijan following the incursions of 2021 and 2022 would be brought back under Armenian control through the delimitation process.
Azerbaijani Forces Confirmed Inside Syunik
Asryan confirmed reports that Azerbaijani military personnel are deployed on Armenian territory near the village of Nerkin Hand and the Zangezur biosphere complex, and that in equipping their positions and building infrastructure they are cutting down trees in the protected zone. He said the Armenian side records these actions and reports them through political channels. “If these enclaves are included in the 29,743 square kilometers of the Republic of Armenia, not a single millimeter of land will be given up,” he said, noting the disputed areas span roughly 18 zones from south to north where both Armenians and Azerbaijanis lived during the Soviet period. He did not answer questions about the mechanisms for actually pushing Azerbaijani forces back, saying only that Armenia must grow stronger through its own efforts rather than rely on third countries.
Defending the New Arsenal
Asryan rejected opposition claims that weapons acquired under the Pashinyan administration are incompatible with the army’s existing equipment. “We do not buy weapons randomly. We assess all parameters and criteria, whether we can integrate the weapon into our arsenal and equipment, whether we are capable of learning to use it, whether our troops will be able to operate it, and how we will manage it within the overall automated system,” he said. The criticism followed a May 28 military parade in Republic Square, where the government displayed air defense systems, multiple rocket launchers, and other equipment acquired over the past four years. Asryan said the army had to restore its wartime losses, acquire new equipment, and rebuild its backbone, and had done so through the daily work of the Ministry of Defense.
Air Defense Independent of Russia
Asked whether military reforms envision separating Armenia’s joint air defense system with Russia, in force since 2015, Asryan said the country must rely solely on itself for air defense, missile defense, and counter-drone protection. “We should not rely on anyone else. We must become strong enough to be able to independently carry out the tasks assigned to us on the territory of Armenia,” he said. He argued that these capabilities are stronger now than before 2018, pointing to recently acquired fighter aircraft and their missile armaments and to cooperation with the Military Industry Committee and domestic defense firms.
Denial That Reserve Call-Ups Target the Opposition
Asryan denied accusations that the military has summoned opposition politicians and their supporters for reserve musters as a punitive measure. “The military has never been a punitive measure. You ought to be proud of the military, where our sons are serving,” he said. He described the musters as a routine initiative since 2023, through which tens of thousands of registered reservists have been called up. Responding to reports that Armenians arriving from Russia, allegedly part of a scheme to briefly enter the country and vote for the opposition, were being summoned at the airport, Asryan said any citizen subject to military registration whose arrival is recorded can be sent an electronic conscription notice regardless of which country they arrive from. “If a citizen is the owner of a passport of the Republic of Armenia, but thinks that he can come here for just one event, for one day, and immediately leave, then that person is acting wrongly,” he said, adding that military police at the airport carry out only their standard escorting and protection functions and that everyone is equal before the law.
