David Tonoyan on the Demand for Suren Papikyan's Resignation

Former Armenian Minister of Defense David Tonoyan does not believe that the solution to the recent tragic incidents in the army, particularly the issue of suicides, lies in the dismissals of high-ranking officials. He stated this near the Anti-Corruption Court to 24news.am.

“I think we need to be more cautious and work harder, rather than looking for solutions through dismissals,” said the former minister.

Regarding the responsibility of Defense Minister Suren Papikyan and the question of his resignation, Tonoyan did not provide a direct answer, noting that a political necessity is required for such a decision. “The resignation of the minister is in the field of the Prime Minister and the Minister. If they believe that politically there is a need for it, they will make that decision. There is a public demand, but it should not be compared with the work of others, with statistics, that if others are not being dismissed, why is this one minister being called out. It does not work like that. During my tenure, I have probably been dismissed in the public arena about three times, there have been protests, but that is a matter of political decision,” Tonoyan said.

At the same time, the former minister mentioned that during his term of office, there were dismissals following tragic incidents in the army, including the heads of military police and police chiefs who served in the military units where these incidents occurred.