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“I believe were were compelled to do that [acquire Iskander missile sistems - Panorama.am] in order to somehow maintain military balance of power in our region. It’s not a secret that Azerbaijan has been regularly purchasing new arms in the recent years. We do not have such financial capacities compared to Azerbaijan, and we are always trying to maintain balance of power by finding antidotes”, - Serzh Sargsyan said in an exclusive interview to Russian RIA Novosti news agency on November 17.

Dmitry Kiselyov, the director general of “Rossiya Segodnya” international news agency, interviewed the President of Armenia on a range of issues related to the development of bilateral relations with Russia in military, political and economic spheres, Nagorno Karabakh peace process, prospects of normalisation with Turkey, etc.

Asked whether the Iskander missile systems, demonstrated at the Independence Day military parade in Yerevan on September 21, may give rise to further arms race in the region and whether Armenia should “have fears” of such arms race, President Sargsyan continued:

“I believe Iskander is exactly an antidote in this case. Of course, arms race is not a good situation, and we do not want to go there. But what can we do? We are threatened on a daily basis (by Azerbaijan), threatened to be physically annihilated. And we should undertake appropriate measures”, - Sargsyan continued.

“It is [however] very difficult to make forecasts [what will happen next]. I remember your interview with the Azerbaijani President where he said that we, I mean Armenia, should always live under some tensions thinking that something may happen. That means, that their threats are no more covered...”, - Sargsyan summed up.

Armenia, the President says, is still hopeful that a peaceful resolution may be found and efforts of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen are important.

Reacting to Kiselyov’s remark that he wished the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan “would desire to stay in history as two leaders who brought peace to the region”, President Sargsyan elaborated:

“It is very important to me. It is very important, because I have devoted all my life to this issue”, adding that using force and other means of coercion by Azerbaijan against the inalienable right of peoples to self-determination in the case of Nagorno Karabakh had been both illegal, from the perspective of Soviet legislation or international law, and was in controversion with any set of values.