Artsakh's Ministry of Defense Responds to Vitaly Balasanyan's Statement

The Ministry of Defense of Artsakh has responded to the statement made by Vitaly Balasanyan, a candidate for the President of Artsakh. The ministry noted that Balasanyan violated the legal requirements for conducting propaganda among military personnel, as he approached contract soldiers at their duty station, distributing campaign flyers while simultaneously conducting electoral campaigning, which diverted the mentioned personnel from perfectly executing their official duties.

This information was provided to Armenpress by the press service of the Artsakh Ministry of Defense.

In response to the Facebook post made by presidential candidate Vitaly Balasanyan on March 29, in which he stated that the military command had obstructed his electoral campaign at one of the military educational institutions (the Ivanian Military High School), the Ministry of Defense of Artsakh indicated that they had publicly called on everyone to refrain from actions not foreseen by law that could involve the military in political processes as early as April 5.

Furthermore, by several decisions and orders from the military command, it has been prohibited for military personnel, especially during their service, to participate in electoral processes in support of any candidate.

It is important to emphasize that presidential candidate Vitaly Balasanyan, violating the established order for conducting propaganda among military personnel, approached contract soldiers at their duty station, distributing campaign flyers while conducting electoral campaigning, thus distracting personnel from their duties.

Given the incident and the failure to comply with the order of the Defense Army commander regarding the prevention of new types of coronavirus spread (which includes avoiding contact between military personnel and civilians, both in military units and in adjacent areas), a service investigation has been initiated by the command of the Defense Army.

The Ministry of Defense of Artsakh reiterates that the military is a depoliticized institution, free from any political orientation, and, as always, will carry out its primary mission with honor, which is to ensure the defense of the Motherland's borders against external threats. Regarding the military's participation in the upcoming elections, every soldier is free in their choice.