"It is not normal to have a person considering himself the prime minister of the country to wake up in bad mood in the morning and decide to dismiss the Chief to the General Staff," politician, public figure Arman Saghatelyan told reporters during a protest outside the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense on Saturday.
No note, dozens of militaries, veterans and citizens are holding protest in support of the Chief of the General Staff Onik Gasparyan and the Army leadership amid the ongoing standoff with the government.
In Saghatelyan's words, the ongoing crisis has no easy settlement as the political leadership of Armenia lacks enough wisdom to perceive the state and national interests of Armenia, especially in a situation when all national institutions demand their resignation.
Saghatelyan noted that the guarantees for immunity of the top military and the inviolability of the Defense Ministry in case of possible political developments are clearly enshrined in the Constitution of Armenia.
"That is one thing that makes the Chief of the General Staff differ from other militaries and for that reason he is appointed for a term of five years. The Constitution does not envisage any other action other than the appointment. It is obvious that the direction taken by the capitulant authorities is not reasonable to settle the standoff," said Saghatelyan.
At a remark that during the recent pro-government rally Pashinyan issued instructions to the Chief of the General Staff, Saghatelyan said: "It was another example of populism. With that, he wants to rule. He in incapable of managing and wants to preserve his power through manipulations and putting the blame on others. This is a disgrace, and proponents of this type of discourse have recently activated. They try to present that not the diplomacy and negotiations failed but whether we need Artsakh at all as it didn't belong to us."
