Who are the 4 high-ranking officers who did not join the General Staff's call for the Prime Minister's resignation
Yerevan.today reports: "As you know, the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces issued a statement yesterday demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the government. As unprecedented as this phenomenon was, so was the General Staff's statement. The statement mentions that the Prime Minister and the government are no longer capable of making adequate decisions for the Armenian people in this critical and fateful situation.
‘The RA Armed Forces have long patiently tolerated the ‘attacks’ aimed at discrediting the armed forces by the current government, but everything has its limits. The RA Armed Forces have honorably fulfilled their duty, fighting alongside their people against the enemy. The ineffective governance of the current authorities and the serious mistakes made in foreign policy have brought the country to the brink of destruction.’
In other words, the command staff of the country’s army, generals, and colonels are sounding the alarm that the situation is critical, that we have reached the edge, that we are losing our homeland, and they note that the army is joining the people, just as the people have always stood with the army. Following this announcement, thousands of citizens took to Liberty Square in support of the army, then marched to Baghramyan Avenue to reaffirm that they too stand by the army.
However, not all high-ranking officers have joined the General Staff's statement; four have abstained. They are: Andranik Makaryan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and Chief of the Armed Forces’ Main Preparedness Directorate; Major General Arakel Martikyan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and Chief of the Intelligence Directorate; Major General Poghos Poghosyan, Chief of the Armament Directorate; and Colonel Arthur Chatyan, Head of the Military Communications Division.
Following the General Staff's statement, Nikol Pashinyan stubbornly continued to direct his arrows towards the army and the officer corps, directly accusing them of poor weapon procurement and blaming them for the defeat in the war, even expressing surprise that he had raised their salaries, asking why they were complaining.
Pashinyan, as stated in the General Staff’s announcement, has, during this period, discredited the army and its officers with various statements and actions, accusing them of corruption, theft, desertion, treason, and every possible and heinous act. All this is, of course, seen by the officers, the military personnel whose duty is to protect the homeland, not to serve narrow personal interests.
It turns out that the aforementioned four officers and Arzruyn Hovhannisyan, who has not responded in any way since the General Staff's statement, and whose position remains unclear, agree with this. It is also noteworthy that this step by the General Staff has been condemned and labeled a ‘coup attempt’ by Soros circles, the official Turkey, and Nikol Pashinyan himself. Turkish President Erdogan, commenting on the situation in Armenia, stated that he is against coups. As for how honorable it is for the mentioned five officers to fill this list, we leave it to their discretion."