I Haven't Seen Onik Gasparyan. I Am Fulfilling Acting Duties

The question of whether Onik Gasparyan remains the Chief of Staff continues to hang in the air. Various interpretations regarding his dismissal persist until today. Addressing the topic, Hraparak.am notes that Judge Mher Petrosyan of the Administrative Court has accepted Gasparyan's complaint, and Article 83 of the Administrative Procedure Code clearly states that if a petition has been submitted against an administrative act and the court has accepted the case, then the implementation of that act is suspended until a final court decision is made in that case. This means that Onik Gasparyan should return to work.

Meanwhile, by the order of Minister of Defense Vagharshak Harutyunyan, Stepan Galstyan, the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, has been appointed as the acting Chief of Staff.

In court, Onik Gasparyan's representative, Arthur Hovhannisyan, insists that his client has been going to work for the past two days: "Yesterday, today, Onik Gasparyan has gone to work, while the acting Chief is working until the Chief of Staff's absence. If there is a Chief of Staff, the acting one no longer exists. Of course, Stepan Galstyan is not acting; an acting takes place when there is no leader. How is it that the minister is absent and the deputy acts? The moment the minister arrives, the acting one ceases to exist."

The contradiction here is that the appointed acting Stepan Galstyan informs the site that he is fulfilling the duties of the chief: "You know what? It would be better not to mix black with white; leave us alone to serve; we have other issues at hand. I am fulfilling my duties; have you seen an order that has removed me? If you haven't, just stay calm. I am saying that I’m fulfilling my duties as acting."

When asked when Onik Gasparyan comes to work, what he occupies himself with, the lieutenant general replied: "I haven't seen him; you tell me, and I say— I haven't seen him. I'm sitting here, fulfilling my duty; I have a meeting, and I haven't drunk water since morning. It is clear, isn't it, that I am the acting officer? Have you seen any other orders after that?"

In response to whether they have seen the court's decision, he replied: "That court decision... when it will be an official document, when something unclear happens, then I will respond."