I Don't Know Any Country That Was Ready to Sell Us Combat Drones, Says Former Chief of Staff

The Armed Forces General Staff had no information regarding the purchase of armored vests for $600. This was stated by the former Chief of Staff Artak Davtyan in an interview with 24News, referring to the comments made by Armenia's third President Serzh Sargsyan, who claimed that the government procured armored vests for nearly $600.

Responding to another statement by Sargsyan, that the new authorities had changed the arms procurement plan, whereas it was expected to acquire more than 2,000 drones between 2018-2020, the former Chief of Staff said: 'Who said that there was a change in the plan? General Movses Hakobyan recently spoke out, stating that there have been no changes to the plan, he was mistaken. Ultimately, they need to clarify whether there has been a change or not. The Ministry of Defense should ultimately clarify this.'

Davtyan raised the question of whether any country was ready to sell strike drones to Armenia. 'I do not know any country that was prepared to sell us strike drones. I do not recall any specific country offering them. We had the desire to purchase, but I do not know of any country that was ready to sell us. I have not received such information. The Ministry of Defense has purchased other types of drones, but I cannot say how many,' said the former Chief of Staff.

We also attempted to clarify why the Iskander missiles were not used against the enemy at the onset of the war, but he declined to answer, stating that he does not possess details regarding the course of the war. It is worth noting that former President Serzh Sargsyan mentioned during an interview on ArmNews that Iskander-type missiles should have been deployed at the beginning of the war when enemy forces were concentrated in Horadiz and other areas. Instead, he noted that these missiles were used in the final days of the war towards Shushi.