“They say that an attempt is being made to subordinate the armed forces to the minister. First, the armed forces are subordinate to the minister and the commander-in-chief. It’s not an experiment, that’s for sure. The power, which the people granted us, gives us the right to fully implement it. We are preparing to fully exercise our power,” Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan said at the plenary session of the National Assembly on July 6. The reported issue was that according to the changes in the Law On Defense and related laws, the head of the Armed Forces General Staff will not be an official replacing the minister.
Suren Papikyan mentioned, “I would be very interested if the opposition was also present here today. They are part of the legislative power. Many of them have experience and knowledge of military service. I am not the person who can reject objective proposals. Naturally, I would not refuse, but no offers were made. I will not even acknowledge criticisms hidden behind the walls. They should come and serve for the benefit of RA through discussions, proposals, and obligations reserved by law.
The citizens sent them here to serve the state, not for their own political benefit.” Suren Papikyan expressed his conviction that the agenda of the opposition is not the welfare of the country, but to bring the government to failure. “They say that the officers were given apartments before. Which apartments are we talking about- that you accumulated that obligation and did not fulfill? Now it is on the shoulders of this government.”
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Then Suren Papikyan announced, “A member of parliament from the opposition was probably confused that he no longer holds the position of head of the General Assembly. He called one of the military personnel, in particular, the main military commissar, and asked questions about the right of the youth of the opposition to be conscripted. Are you a citizen of the Republic of Armenia or how… In Yerevan it is easy to save the country, but of course you do not save it, but you want to lead the country to uncertainty. I announced a month of engineering work, come and participate, go to a three-month gathering, you are a citizen of the Republic of Armenia. It’s a shame, stop it. If in the past the Minister of Defense dealt with such issues, now he cannot. He has a lot of work to do. Next time, do not reserve the right to call the military or make covert calls to them, because such calls will also imply legal responsibility. I think law enforcement officers should pay attention to such calls.”
At the same time, NA Vice President Ruben Rubinyan and Civil Contract faction deputies criticized the fact that the opposition was absent from the special session of the discussion of legislative projects related to the defense sector and the army.
Luiza Sukiasyan
