Political Crisis Deepens, Security Issues Demand Urgent Solutions: Tigran Abrahamyan

Director of the ‘Henchak’ analytical center and former advisor on security issues to the President of Artsakh, Tigran Abrahamyan, has presented an article addressing the challenges faced by Armenian citizens related to serving in the Artsakh Defense Army. He emphasizes that the need to ensure the country's security requires urgent solutions to a large number of questions.

Abrahamyan believes that the main principle in the current situation is to solve major problems with limited resources, focusing on quality and efficiency.

The article continues: “The Secretary of the Security Council of Artsakh, Vitali Balasanyan, has announced that Armenian citizens can voluntarily serve in the armed forces if they obtain citizenship/registration in Artsakh. This announcement is logically connected to another statement he made, which had been circulating for some time without official confirmation. General Balasanyan confirmed information that no further recruitment will be dispatched from Armenia.

The situation is not ordinary; I would say it is among the most complex. Artsakh requires a robust defense capability, and Armenia simply cannot adopt a passive position in this process. Several critical components are involved, including technical readiness, human resources, and combat readiness. It should also be noted that the contact line of Artsakh has significantly expanded as a result of the war, which exacerbates the existing issues.

The overall situation complicates further with the ongoing political crisis in Armenia and Artsakh, as well as the extremely dangerous processes surrounding the armed forces. In this reality, intermediate solutions must be found, which will need to be integrated into the reforms process of the armed forces following political changes in Armenia.

There are still many uncertainties surrounding the domestic situation in Armenia, and the necessity to ensure the country’s security compels urgent resolutions to numerous issues. In light of the recruitment halt from Armenia, the Defense Army is being supplemented by the conscription of Artsakh residents and resources from contract volunteers that are in the final stages of discussion.

Even prior to the war, there were positions filled on a contractual basis in Artsakh that carried out combat duty along various directions of the contact line. In recent months, active work has been focused on sharply increasing the number of these units.

Alongside mandatory and contractual service, there has been ongoing discussion in Artsakh for several months now regarding the incorporation of civil service employees into combat duty for a specific time. This issue is one of the most debated, and although there are many problems involved, the situation demands continuous search for solutions, with time being quite limited.

Considering Artsakh's human resources, it is clear that the question of sending volunteers from Armenia for service is crucial; from this perspective, proposals and recommendations from Artsakh should be prioritized on the agenda of Armenia’s military-political leadership.

Throughout various periods, the issue of different units serving in Artsakh has been discussed and implemented in Armenia, and I believe that even today, under the current adverse conditions, it is possible to recruit volunteers both from among conscripts and contract personnel serving in Armenia.

I reiterate that there are models that have worked, and discussions regarding their modifications and new formats present opportunities for replenishing the armed forces of Artsakh.

Of course, with political will, local self-government bodies and recruitments can be engaged to collaborate with diverse segments of society, establishing new model contract/volunteer units that will carry out combat service in Artsakh. The current situation and modern realities compel us, meanwhile, to raise and strengthen the question of technical outfitting, necessitating the establishment of systems from scratch along the new contact line.

The main principle is to solve major issues with fewer resources, focusing on quality and efficiency. Time is pressing; swift action is needed to find the most effective model for ensuring the security of Artsakh and to quickly move towards its implementation.