Who Are the Officials That Did Not Send Greetings on the 30th Anniversary of the Army? Edgar Ghazaryan

Former head of the Constitutional Court staff Edgar Ghazaryan made several remarks on Facebook regarding the events and facts surrounding the 30th anniversary of the Armenian Army on January 28, 2022.

“The summaries of the events and facts surrounding the 30th anniversary of the Armenian Army reveal the criminal behavior exhibited by the Armenian authorities aimed at belittling and undermining the Army, and minimizing its role and significance in our lives. This could have only been done by the enemies of the Armenian people or by other entities acting under their instruction.”

— Armenian President Armen Sarkissian fled the country and announced his resignation a few days before the Army's 30th anniversary celebration.

— Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that he was ill and did not participate in any events, using his illness as an excuse to cancel official events, for which no information or invitations had been previously provided, nor any organizational steps taken.

— Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan did not send a message on the occasion of the Army's 30th anniversary, although he sent a message on November 17, 2021, for the Day of Medical Workers. This implies that the anniversary of a unit of the Army was more valuable to him than the celebration of the entire Army.

— The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces did not send a message on the occasion of the Army's 30th anniversary.

— None of the heads of the three bodies subordinate to the Prime Minister sent greetings for the Army Day: neither the Chief of Police Vahe Ghazaryan, nor the Director of the National Security Service Armen Abazyan, nor the head of the State Oversight Service Romanos Petrosyan.

— None of the heads from the governmental bodies sent well-wishes, not even Armen Ghulyan, former governor of Tavush and a former member of the boards of the Yerkrapah Volunteers’ Union and the Republican Party, who holds the rank of colonel.

— Arman Dilyan, self-proclaimed president of the Constitutional Court, also did not send a message, whereas previous presidents of the Constitutional Court had consistently done so.

— Even Sasun Mikayelyan, president of the Yerkrapah Volunteers’ Union, did not send greetings.

— No commemorative medal was established for the “30th Anniversary of the Army,” unlike 10 years ago, which violated the continuity of anniversary medals.

— Festive and anniversary events were not organized in provincial centers. Almost no solemn and festive events were held with the participation of regional governors and military units.

— Not only were there no official events in Yerevan, but also no public events, despite a concert celebrated on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Armenia’s Independence, which exceeded expenses of one billion drams and was conducted secretly from the public.

— No soldiers or war participants were awarded by the President and Prime Minister, nor did anyone receive a military rank.

— Neither the Minister of Defense nor any of his deputies attended the state blessing ceremony, award ceremony, and reception that took place the day before Army Day with the participation of the Supreme Patriarch of All Armenians.

— No announcements were made from the defense ministers of other countries, the Secretary-General of the CSTO, or heads of other international military-political organizations.

— Members of the “Civil Contract” faction in the National Assembly have displayed blatant disrespect at the Yerablur Military Pantheon, dishonoring the memory of those who died for the Fatherland. These are just some facts, and the conclusions are left to each individual.