Prime Minister's Prospective Appointment for Onik Gasparyan's Position

Despite President Armen Sarkissian's refusal to sign the decision on the dismissal of the Chief of General Staff Onik Gasparyan, authorities assert that legally Onik will be released from his position on Thursday. For several days now, the government has been considering candidates for the new Chief of General Staff, with two names being discussed in the media: Deputy Chief of the General Staff Andranik Makaryan, who is among the few military personnel that did not join the call for Prime Minister Pashinyan's resignation, and Jalal Harutyunyan, the head of the Ministry of Defense's Military Inspection Service, reports Hraparak.am.

The outlet notes that it has recently learned that Prime Minister Pashinyan's choice seems to have settled on former Chief of General Staff Artak Davtyan, who, in one of his interviews, agreed with the Prime Minister's characterization that the General Staff's statement was an attempt at a military coup. Meanwhile, Jalal Harutyunyan expressed his support for the army in an interview with one of the media outlets, stating that he has always been on the side of the armed forces.

Hraparak attempted to ascertain from Artak Davtyan whether he had received such an offer: 'I am not aware.' Were you offered anything or not? 'I am not aware of anything.' If they do, will you accept? 'I do not wish to make any comment.'

It is worth recalling that Davtyan served as the Chief of General Staff from May 24, 2018, until June 8, 2020, when Pashinyan dismissed him for holding his son's wedding with a large number of guests during the COVID-19 quarantine period.

Regarding Davtyan's dismissal, the Prime Minister stated at a government meeting, 'I want to wish happiness to all newlyweds, including General-Lieutenant Artak Davtyan's son and daughter-in-law, hoping they will form a happy family. I also want to say that decisions are often not straightforward in crisis situations. However, there comes a point when discipline, order, and the precise and unconditional implementation of actions stemming from the emergency situation and the leader of the country become a priority over all other matters.'