Appointment of New Chief of Staff Seems to Indicate Army is Set to Collapse Entirely: Movses Hakobyan

Yes, the Prime Minister has the right to dismiss the Chief of Staff, but the question arises: what are the grounds for this? This was stated today, on March 23, during a meeting with journalists by the former Chief of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, Movses Hakobyan.

“If Onik Gasparyan is a criminal, then charge him; if he is performing poorly, prove it; if he made a political statement, then file criminal charges. You don’t do any of these but remove him from office. Moreover, Onik Gasparyan can also be dismissed as a disciplinary measure, but this requires an official investigation, which has not been conducted. Of course, the regulations allow for dismissal as a disciplinary measure, but generally, this should be preceded by several sanctions, whereas Onik Gasparyan received the rank of lieutenant-general just a few days ago, which could not happen if he had sanctions against him,” he stated.

Movses Hakobyan noted that military personnel are guided by the internal service regulations, the first chapter of which contains a clause stating: “If military laws contradict each other, then the internal service regulations take precedence over other laws.” He emphasized that the principle of unilateral command should not be disrupted. A military officer carries out the order and then appeals it. If tomorrow they appeal that the law was applied unlawfully against Onik Gasparyan, that law will not have retroactive effect. No one can return to that position. The law requires that the person who issued the unlawful order may be held accountable.”

Speaking about the appointment of Artak Davtyan as Chief of Staff, Movses Hakobyan recalled that the candidacy of the newly appointed Chief of Staff was not particularly desirable for him. “I have mentioned once again that it seems Artak Davtyan has been appointed to prove that the army has not collapsed after the 44-day war and that he has been appointed for it to fully collapse,” he stated.