When Finance Increases, So Do the ‘Bazaar’: Pashinyan on Criminal Subculture in the Army

In 2019, there was a historical minimum number of casualties in the army. Never before have there been fewer casualties in the army than in 2019. This was stated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a program on Public Television, discussing recent events in the army.

The Prime Minister announced that an inter-agency working group will soon be formed under his directive, which will focus on reforms in the army. "In 2020, there were 13 casualties, of which 5 died due to illness, some of them during their service and some not. Four died as a result of accidents, and there were 4 cases of suicide. I must emphasize that significant personnel changes have taken place in the army. Of course, we have problems here.

I have thought a lot about what the causes of events caused by regulatory relationships are. Of course, the reason is the criminal subculture, which must be uprooted, along with discipline. Now you might ask me how the criminal subculture existed last year and not this year. What has changed? This question requires much deeper analysis.

As you know, last year the monetary allowances for our soldiers increased. Conscripts used to receive 3,000-3,500 drams, and now they receive 4,500-5,000 drams. Alongside the criminal subculture, when funding increases, so do, let’s say, the 'bazaars'. I know this from the known pages of my biography. Where financial resources are abundant, the struggle for establishing control increases. This is a hypothesis. The public should know what conclusion I have reached. Of course, this still needs to be studied. I have given appropriate directives. We increased the soldiers’ pay with good intentions, but since the fight against criminal subculture has not been implemented as I ordered, two responsible officials were dismissed from their positions," stated Nikol Pashinyan.