Artsakh Defense Army Not Disbanding, Transitioning to Professional Military

The Artsakh Defense Army is not being disbanded but rather being reorganized. This was stated by Vahram Poghosyan, spokesman for the president of Artsakh, in an interview with 'Haykakan Zhamanak'.

“Steps are being taken to quickly transition to a professional army. The issue of reviewing and reducing the service time of conscript soldiers is being discussed,” added Poghosyan.

Earlier today, Vitaly Balasanyan, the secretary of the Security Council of Artsakh, released a statement in this regard, particularly noting: “Certain media outlets and social networks are spreading news that the Artsakh Defense Army will be disbanded, and according to the logic of that news, there will be no organization to protect the borders of Artsakh. In this regard, I would like to inform that the state bodies of Artsakh are currently working on the establishment of professional military units on a contractual basis specifically for the purpose of protecting our borders.”

Neither Vitaly Balasanyan in his statement nor Vahram Poghosyan in the interview provided further details on what professional units are being discussed.