ArmInfo. Armenia's defense minister must be outside "political party teams," believes the ex-minister of defense David Tonoyan, who is in custody now on huge  embezzlement charges. He is charged with embezzling $4.6mln. 

In responding to a statement by Gagik Melkonyan, a member of the  Civil Contract parliamentary faction, he said: 

"As far as I know, Gagik Melkonyan, an MP of the ruling party Civil  Contract, in commenting on the proposed amendments to the Law on  Defense, stated that the minister of defense must be fellow member of  Nikol Pashinyan's team. He said literally that 'one of the major  problems during the war we lost was that they were not his teammates.  We know how they organized escape,'."

"In this context, I would like to emphasize a number of facts. First,  the fact that Gagik Melkonyan once held high posts at the Ministry of  Defense does not at al means he has the necessary professional skills  to draw conclusions. 

"Moreover, I am proud that as a government member I was not a member  of the team with Melkonyan as one of its members," Tonoyan said. 

This April he gave an "exhaustive answer" to the question as to why  he did not consider himself a member of the Pashinyan-led team and  the reasons for his decision to agree to fill the post of minister of  defense. 

"Gagik Melkonyan's statements only corroborate my doubts about the  real objectives of the 'investigative commission' of the Parliament. 

"I am deeply convinced that the minister of defense, as a government  member, assuming political responsibility for implementing the  government defense programmes, must, however, be outside the  'political party team'," Tonoyan stated.