Opposition MP: Reforms in Armenian army are slow or nonexistent

Panorama
Armenia – June 3 2022

MP Tigran Abrahamyan, who represents the opposition With Honor (Pativ Unem) bloc, claims the promised reforms in the Armenian army are slow or lack at all.

In a public post on Facebook on Friday, the lawmaker highlighted that after the 2020 war in Artsakh, Azerbaijan set up four new military units of special forces, known as commando units under the model of the Turkish military as part of its army reforms.

According to the Azerbaijani media reports, they were fully trained at Turkish training grounds or other facilities intended for the training of special troops.

“It is envisaged that in the future some of these units will be trained in Azerbaijan with Turkey’s active involvement. I will talk about the army corps and military units of border troops created and restructured separately,” Abrahamyan said.

“Meanwhile, Armenia’s defense minister still talks about private canteens opened three years ago, servicemen go missing at the border in unknown circumstances, troops are on duty in tents in some key border areas and reforms in the military are slow or nonexistent because the minister does not like it. Unfortunately, this series could be continued,” the MP noted, rejecting the authorities’ statements on an “era of peace”.

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS