Video: The Armed Forces Must Not Look Back. Pashinyan Introduces New Chief of General Staff to Military Command

Newly appointed Chief of General Staff Artak Davtyan was introduced to the military command by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who also shared a video on his Facebook page. In his speech, Prime Minister Pashinyan stated, "Dear Minister, esteemed colleagues, gentlemen generals and officers, we have gathered today to introduce Lieutenant General Artak Davtyan as the Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces. Of course, there is nothing new about this, as we have all known for quite some time that Mr. Davtyan will be replacing Onik Gasparyan in this role, but due to the peculiarities of our legislation, we were forced to wait for some time.”

“You all know that Mr. Davtyan left the position of Chief of General Staff for reasons unrelated to service, and I must note that we have maintained constant communication during this period and it has become clear that we must certainly utilize his potential in our state affairs and involve him. During this time, Mr. Davtyan has taken on the responsibilities of the Chairman of the Defense Industry Committee, and I also invited him to Syunik during the war to organize or participate in self-defense efforts. Mr. Davtyan has always been involved during this time and has not been disconnected from state affairs. I am confident that his mission will continue at the same high level that it began. Of course, the mission is not easy; we are living in extremely difficult times, and the issues are more than serious.”

“The first issue is to protect the army and the armed forces, and the second issue is to ensure that the necessary reforms take place in the armed forces that will strengthen primarily the armed forces, the level of protection of Armenia's external security, and, of course, all of our confidence in the armed forces and our security system.”

“Mr. Davtyan, I congratulate you on the occasion of taking on this prestigious position again. Let me express confidence that we will be able to solve the problems that arise from the interests of our country, our state, and our people. I wish you every success in this responsible position and hope that we will be able to overcome as quickly as possible the difficulties that have arisen due to known circumstances.”

“I want to emphasize one more aspect: when I presented you to the position of Chief of General Staff in 2018, I considered it very important that the armed forces maintain a strictly non-political status, and it must be said that you have also performed this task at a very high level. In December 2018, we had snap parliamentary elections, and there was not a single signal or incident where it was recorded that the armed forces had in any way succumbed to political influence or been drawn into political processes. This is extremely important and I am confident that we will also have such a clear situation in the future.”

“I want to repeat once again that the events that took place from February until now are understandable from many parameters. I want to state, assure that no human or political trace of this has left in me; I simply must ask that we agree that the depoliticization of the armed forces and the principle of being non-political must be held sacred. This should not be about me, it should not be about a particular individual or group; it is an important principle that must first and foremost pertain to the armed forces.”

“The armed forces must not look back at all; there are issues and questions that the government must ensure for the smooth development of the armed forces. We all must ensure this, especially in this situation. The armed forces, no matter how strange it may sound, should feel protected, but on the other hand, we should not avoid answering the raised questions, as this must first and foremost pertain to us. Certain conclusions should certainly be drawn, but these conclusions should not be of the kind that, unfortunately in my opinion, managed to persuade a number of respected representatives of our armed forces.”

Artak Davtyan thanked the Prime Minister for his trust and stated, "Of course, we will implement the given instructions, and I am confident that the armed forces will not participate in any political processes not provided for by the Constitution and laws. At the same time, with your permission, Mr. Prime Minister, I would like to once again emphasize and thank General Gasparyan for his leadership during the war, as well as General Galstyan for fulfilling his duties during this time. We hope that, through joint efforts, we will be able to solve all the problems currently facing the armed forces.”

In conclusion, Prime Minister Pashinyan noted: “I also join your words, and once again thank General Onik Gasparyan for his rendered services, and of course Mr. Galstyan, thank you for fulfilling the duties of Chief of General Staff during this time. Thank you to everyone, because we have indeed gone through a very difficult period, and I believe that we have, in the end, been able to do our utmost and we have done what was necessary to emerge from all of this stronger, united, and, ultimately, renewed optimism towards the future.”