The Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan is urging not to make the imprisoned fighter Volodya Avetisyan a hero. “For the merits of each army servant and the war veteran are evidently seen in the Armenian reality of who has done what and what merits he has. Each takes its place in the society or its place of service in the army, has its opportunities for promotion in the army based on the merits,” said Seyran Ohanyan. He repeated his earlier expressed view that Volodya Avetisyan was just a battalion commander and deputy commander of the regiment. “They were his merits, nothing more.” Later, the Minister complained, “Nowadays, many war veterans, sometimes, say that they will fight, and will do I do not know what. Those who are serving in the army today are those deserved who can grow as soldiers, the rest are this-or-that civic work and and have came out of the army. Now to speak about when we were conducting a large-scale reforms in the army, we were forcing such few people to go and cut their hair, or to wear a hat with the uniform, or if you are wearing a uniform, button it up, because it is not nice, you are standing in front of the term serviceman with a cigarette in your mouth, you discredit the rank and dignity of the officer.”
Arpine SIMONYAN
