Parliamentarians Indicate to Artak Davtyan That He May Leave

According to the newspaper "Joghavorut", the parliamentarians were dissatisfied after yesterday's meeting with the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Artak Davtyan. Details have emerged from the closed-door meeting between the members of the National Assembly’s Committee on Defense and Security and the Committee on Human Rights and Public Affairs and Artak Davtyan.

According to the report, the meeting was highly tense and difficult. The Chief of the General Staff presented cases of soldiers who died in the army, and when the parliamentarians raised the issue of accountability, Davtyan did not consider the situation a failure on their part.

This aspect caused confusion among the current parliamentarians, as according to the regulations established on July 4, 2019, the Chief of General Staff is responsible for any issues related to the army. Furthermore, one of the objectives outlined in the regulations for the General Staff is to ensure the psychological readiness and patriotic education of the Armed Forces' personnel, as well as to strengthen military discipline. This implies that the General Staff and personally the Chief should also be involved in works related to the army; however, during yesterday's meeting, he presented the situation as though they were not responsible, and it was not their fault.

The newspaper also learned that during the meeting, Artak Davtyan appealed to the parliamentarians, asking them to assist in filling the existing gaps through legislative initiatives. Additionally, the parliamentarians questioned the Chief of the General Staff regarding resignations, specifically if it was true that the head of the Military Police, Artur Baghdasaryan, and the commander of the Defense Army, Karen Abrahamyan, had also resigned. In response, the Armed Forces chief confirmed their departure from office. However, in a conversation with journalists afterward, he said something different.

The reports suggest that the government has hinted to Davtyan that if deficiencies are noted again in the near future, he should voluntarily submit his resignation without explanation. Essentially, the parliamentarians have made it clear that they are dissatisfied with Davtyan, and his days in office are numbered.

For further details, please refer to today’s issue of the newspaper.