VIDEO: The Cause of Mass Desertion was the State's Political Policy - Khachatryan

The former Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia, Tiran Khachatryan, asserts that there was mass desertion during the 44-day Artsakh war. Khachatryan made this statement during a conversation with reporters before a court hearing regarding the case of the former commander of the 3rd Army Corps, Grigori Khachaturyan.

“In fact, there was mass desertion. The reason is the state's political policy, as no appropriate steps were taken in that direction. This was not an issue of the armed forces,” said the former chief of staff.

He also addressed the statement made by Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's wife, Anna Hakobyan, claiming that there were 11,000 deserters during the 44-day war. According to Khachatryan, he cannot comment on that statement, as even law enforcement agencies cannot substantiate it.

“If I am not a doctor, then I should not speak about medicine; if I am not a politician, then I should not engage in political phenomena. If a person has a bit of morality, they should not stick their nose into matters that do not concern them,” Khachatryan remarked.

For more details, watch the video.