In Case of Disbandment of the Artsakh Defense Army, We Will Boost the Formation of the National Army: Metakse Hakhobyan

“I perceive the news about the potential disbandment of the Artsakh Defense Army as merely speculative, at least for now; nothing more than that. Indeed, especially over the past several months, we have heard continuous sensational news, some of which have partially materialized. However, regarding the news of disbanding the Artsakh Defense Army, I don’t think it will be feasible,” said Metakse Hakhobyan, a member of the National Assembly of Artsakh from the 'Justice' faction, in an interview with 'Factinfo,' commenting on the statement made yesterday by former ambassador Mikael Minasyan in the Vatican, alleging that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan have agreed on the disbandment of the Artsakh Defense Army in the near future.

Metakse Hakhobyan emphasized that she has a clear perception of what could happen, even if the Artsakh Defense Army is disbanded: “We have prospects for reorganization in our sights, even if the program for disbanding the Artsakh army is realized. Months ago, under the leadership of Vitali Balasanyan, our political force declared that there needs to be a push for the establishment of the national army, not just in Artsakh but also in Armenia. The 'Nation-Army' program, which is essentially an idea, envisaged this, where every citizen, regardless of their position, should be a soldier of that army. We have even developed a clear plan regarding how to implement this, in other words, what the status of an army in a country constantly at war should be like.”

The Artsakh MP notes that the results of the recent unorganized war once again affirmed the necessity for a national army. Metakse Hakhobyan is confident that, in some ways, this outcome was due to the absence of a coherent 'Nation-Army' program, based on which many disasters brought by that war could have been avoided. The MP adds that during wartime, the National Assembly of Artsakh made amendments to the law concerning the national army, and it seems that similar efforts are currently being undertaken to finalize the 'Nation-Army' program.