Video: Nikol Pashinyan Introduces New Minister of Defense

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has introduced Suren Papikyan, the newly appointed Minister of Defense, to the staff of the Ministry of Defense and the high command of the Armed Forces. The Prime Minister expressed gratitude to the former minister, Arshak Karapetyan, for his work in the defense department and commented on the decision to appoint Suren Papikyan as Minister of Defense.

“Essentially, I have made a significant political decision, and when I met with Mr. Karapetyan this morning, he mentioned a point that I cannot disagree with and which I must voice. He rightly noted that the status of the Minister of Defense is perhaps the most vulnerable status in the Republic of Armenia, or one of the most vulnerable. I want to thank Mr. Karapetyan for assuming the responsibility and having the courage to take on that vulnerable status, while at the same time, I want to thank Mr. Papikyan for accepting my decision and effectively replacing the much more vulnerable status of the Minister of Defense with that of the Deputy Prime Minister.

“Dear colleagues, esteemed generals and officers, our country is facing serious strategic challenges, and we simply have no right to fail to manage these challenges in accordance with the interests of the Republic of Armenia, Artsakh, and the Armenian people. You know, there can be many evaluations, and those evaluations can be emotional or less emotional, but we must be clear about one thing: the government of the Republic of Armenia and the leadership of the country have a clear vision of what steps are needed to successfully navigate our country through this crossroads of strategic challenges and set it on a path of lasting and sustainable development, and we will follow that path.

“I told Mr. Karapetyan this morning that I continue to consider him a teammate. You know that Suren Papikyan is my long-standing political ally and companion, and I want to reiterate one more time under this roof: since 2018, after I assumed the position of Prime Minister, there has not been a single case where the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia or the Ministry of Defense have raised an issue that is within the government's solvable domain and that issue has not been resolved. This will also be the case from now on; I do not want to say more because there have been no less cases before, but we are facing a very important and serious challenge, the solution of which Mr. Karapetyan began, and I am confident that Mr. Papikyan will successfully continue.

“The Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces are the largest state organism of our country, and that organism must be healthy, functionally efficient, and decisions must be profound, well-founded, and stem from our military and strategic needs. In this regard, I want to emphasize this nuance, around which we must continue to work,” said the Prime Minister.

Arshak Karapetyan thanked the Ministry of Defense staff and military personnel for their joint work. “I ask everyone to consider this my last order: do everything possible to support the new minister and unite beside him. I am confident that Mr. Papikyan will be able to continue and implement the programs that the government has approved regarding the Armed Forces. I had a separate conversation with Mr. Papikyan, and I expressed my readiness to assist if necessary. Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your trust, and I hope that the next minister will also achieve even greater successes. Thank you for our joint service,” said Arshak Karapetyan.

In turn, the newly appointed Minister Suren Papikyan stated: “Dear Prime Minister, gentlemen generals, officers, esteemed colleagues, it is a great honor for me to assume this role during such a responsible and difficult period. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for trusting me with this responsible role. I am ready to serve the Republic of Armenia day and night.”