Personnel Changes Under Gunfire: What is Known About the New Defense Minister Appointee

It is difficult to be mistaken if we assert that Karapetyan's selection demonstrates both the scarcity of the government’s personnel bank and serves as proof of the priority of loyalty for Nikol Pashinyan. This is reported by Sputnik Armenia.

Since the government has not yet been formed after the elections, the legislation does not allow for the appointment of ministers. Therefore, Karapetyan will effectively head the ministry in the capacity of first deputy. After the government is formed, he will be appointed as the minister.

Major General Karapetyan has seen a quite rapid rise in his career lately. Recall that by Nikol Pashinyan's decision on July 20, Karapetyan was appointed as the first deputy defense minister, just a few hours after he was removed from the position of first deputy chief of the General Staff by a presidential decree.

In April of this year, he became the first deputy chief of the General Staff, replacing Tigran Khachatryan, who was dismissed due to a scandal related to 'Iskanders.' Prior to his work at the General Staff, Karapetyan was an advisor to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Current authorities opened doors for him after the April 2016 war. At that time, he held the position of head of the General Staff's Intelligence Department, from which he was relieved after the combat operations. There were rumors that the intelligence service had 'let slip' the Azerbaijani Army’s planned attack at that time.

In February 2018, he was sent to the military attaché position in Moscow, which is considerably modest compared to the role of head of military intelligence.

In December 2018, after the 'velvet revolution,' Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan decided to appoint him as his advisor. Reports circulated in the media that he received a position because he had agreed to provide testimony in the case of March 1, 2008. This pertained to the suppression of mass protests in Yerevan, which resulted in the death of 10 people. It was presumed that military units had been involved in the actions. It was mentioned that the general had testified against his former colleagues, for which he received Pashinyan's 'gratitude.' Official comments on this occasion, of course, were absent.

Karapetyan’s 'star hour' arrived after the General Staff demanded Pashinyan's resignation in February of this year. The Prime Minister dismissed Chief of General Staff Onik Gasparyan, and just prior, his deputy Tigran Khachatryan.

After several trials (Gasparyan and Khachatryan are still disputing their dismissals in the administrative court), the General Staff was again headed by Artak Davtyan, who had been dismissed in June 2020, while Karapetyan became his first deputy.

In military circles, sources from Sputnik Armenia refer to Davtyan and Karapetyan as 'Siamese twins,' noting their similar views and approaches. They studied together in Moscow and worked together at the General Staff. During the same April events, Davtyan was appointed as the head of the General Staff's operational department, while Karapetyan became the head of the main intelligence department.

Our sources also describe Karapetyan as a strict military figure (albeit with modest knowledge) whom subordinates fear and listen to. Naturally, in the context of the current administrative chaos, such qualities are quite in demand for a general. He is also an acceptable figure to Russian partners due to his strong connections within Russia's military leadership. This factor cannot be overlooked considering Russia's active involvement in the current modernization of the Armenian military.

However, various rumors regarding his connections with the Turkish military establishment raise concerns, although verifying such information is, for understandable reasons, impossible.