What Serzh Sargsyan Discussed in the 'April Committee'

According to 'Zhoghovurd' newspaper, Serzh Sargsyan was finally welcomed by members of the National Assembly's committee investigating the circumstances of the April war yesterday. The former Prime Minister was first thermometrically checked at the entrance, as is the case for everyone entering the National Assembly, and then he went to a special room, where entry of outsiders is prohibited and far from possible 'juchoks'.

It is noted that the committee's work was organized in compliance with all pandemic rules, even maintaining social distancing. Moreover, a cigarette ashtray was placed on the table to allow Sargsyan the opportunity to smoke. In those conditions, he answered the deputies' questions for 5 hours—a lengthy session unlike any before.

It should be emphasized that the deputies had prepared thoroughly and meticulously for the meeting with Sargsyan, gathering again about an hour before the session for final discussions. Some details from that closed session have been revealed to 'Zhoghovurd' newspaper. Before addressing those details, it should be noted that Sargsyan set a condition before attending the committee; he requested to receive the recording of the meeting from start to finish after it ended. The committee reaffirmed its willingness, and the chairman Andranik Kocharyan stated that the recording would definitely be provided after the conclusion.

Thus, the actual session began, with Sargsyan delivering an introductory speech, reiterating what he had previously discussed with journalists outside the National Assembly. He mentioned that it was time to talk, explain, and speak up, asserting that he was ready to speak openly about everything without hiding or feeling constrained.

According to 'Zhoghovurd', the meeting proceeded very calmly and, importantly, respectfully on both sides, with everyone eager to conduct the meeting in a respectful atmosphere. However, this did not stop deputies from raising various questions, ranging from intelligence operations, losses of hectares, whether a war was planned or not, and issues of accountability.

He went on to describe what had actually piqued the interest of the committee members, leading to an impression among deputies that he was repeating opinions expressed in a film prepared by Channel 5. Information indicates that each deputy present asked several questions—about 3 to 4, with everyone participating, both from the ruling and opposition factions.

Many were curious as to how it was possible that the publically known information was that the Armenian side had lost 800 hectares of land, while now it was presented that only 400 hectares were lost. Sargsyan patiently explained, often using the phrase 'you know,' indicating that only 400 hectares had been the Armenian side’s territory while the other 400 hectares had been neutral territory, now under Azerbaijani control. Thus, we have lost only 400 hectares as a result of the April four-day war.

Overall, Sargsyan portrayed the April four-day war as a victory, responding to every unexpected question. He stated, 'You are all familiar with the data that we had about 100 casualties while the Azerbaijani forces suffered about 1000 casualties. Isn’t that a victory?' Sargsyan also took pride in the fact that the international community fully understood the actions of the Armenian side and did not criticize us in any field.

When everything was laid out so vividly, the deputies inquired about what shortcomings might have occurred during that time and who might have failed in their duties before and after the April war. In response, Sargsyan reminded them of his April 26, 2016 decrees, according to which certain officials were dismissed: Deputy Minister of Defense for logistics Alik Mirzabekyan, Deputy Chief of Intelligence of the Armed Forces, Major General Arshak Karapetyan, and Chief of Communications and Automated Control Systems, Major General Komitas Muradyan. This indicated that these individuals had failed, hence their dismissal.

It should be noted that Arshak Karapetyan has been an advisor to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan since December 18, 2018. Komitas Muradyan was appointed the First Deputy of the Chief of Operations Department of the Armenian Armed Forces on February 6 of this year.

Sargsyan emphasized that there may have been instances where he was not informed or circumstances that he does not recall. Nevertheless, the majority of deputies were notably surprised by the former president’s willingness to answer all questions. Several deputies participating in the committee session conveyed to 'Zhoghovurd' that this meeting was the most informative and that Sargsyan had at times disclosed information that was unexpected for the members of the committee and the coordinating chairman Andranik Kocharyan.

Even though Sargsyan did not mention names, he pointed out individuals who might have critical information, similar to that possessed by former Chief of Staff Yuri Khachaturov—implying that the discussion is now focused on representatives of the Defense Army. Therefore, upcoming discussions with them are anticipated, after which the committee is expected to prepare its final report, with a deadline set for June 4. This is critical, as the six-month mandate for the committee has already been extended once, and they cannot do so again. That is why, according to our information, a decision has been made to act more quickly. Although a state of emergency is in effect in the country, meetings and sessions will still take place.

Notably, the 5-hour session included a break, which had not occurred in previous meetings. Many deputies came and went during the meeting. However, yesterday’s session was interrupted for about half an hour, and it is noteworthy that only a few deputies from 'My Step'—Kristine Poghosyan, Armen Khachatryan, Sipan Pashinyan, Tigran Karapetyan, Aren Mkrtchyan—left the hall during the break, while the others remained in the designated room for the meeting.