I Realized That I Will Never Be a Member of the 'Political Team': David Tonoyan

Former Minister of Defense of Armenia David Tonoyan, who is currently involved in the missile case, has responded to several questions from 168.am through his lawyer:

– On April 13, in the National Assembly, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, talking about the shortcomings during the war, stated that no one from their political team has been appointed to any position in the army since the 2018 revolution and emphasized that you were a member of the previous government. Nikol Pashinyan had also expressed a similar thought during an interview with Nver Mnatsakanian in February 2021. Incidentally, when Suren Papikyan was appointed as Minister of Defense, Nikol Pashinyan justified it by saying that defense and foreign policy positions should be entrusted to members of his own political team. What does this mean? Given certain circumstances, does he understand that he was mistaken regarding you, or has he never trusted you enough?

– If the Prime Minister of Armenia is facing a 'dilemma', then my acceptance of the proposal to lead the Ministry of Defense was a firm decision made based on a sense of obligation developed over decades of public service, as well as due to the encouragement from many friends and concerned partners about the development of the Armed Forces of Armenia. In making that decision, I was well aware that I would never be a member of the 'political team', taking into account my mindset and past experiences.

– Continuing with the question, perhaps Nikol Pashinyan needed a transitional minister?

– Yes, the Prime Minister’s words can lead to the conclusion that he and his political team needed a 'transitional' Minister of Defense. However, despite the continuous efforts of certain members of that team, he did not remove me from my position even during the war. I served for 2.5 years, and 1.5 years have passed since my dismissal during which three Ministers of Defense have been appointed, which is a telling indicator of the quality of personnel policy.

– On April 13, Nikol Pashinyan also stated in the National Assembly: 'For the first time, a few days after the war, I learned that there was a problem with helmets and bulletproof vests in the army.' However, the Law on Defense of Armenia explicitly defines what the Government is responsible for in such cases. In addition, the Security Council has its own scope of responsibility.

– First of all, I would like to note that the 'State Program for the Development of Armaments and Military Equipment', reaffirmed by the Government of Armenia, specifies the overall demand for military significant product acquisitions for at least five years, distributed by year. It includes both ensuring the application of armed forces in such situations and the requirements for the quantitative calculations and approximate financial resources needed to ensure the daily activities of armed forces under peaceful conditions. Since this demand exceeds the possibilities of the state budget, considering the financial resources allocated by the Government of Armenia, the Ministry of Defense distributes the annual defense expenditures as much as possible according to priorities. I do not believe that in the case of thousands of material and financial requests, I or any other official should draw the Prime Minister's attention specifically to helmets and bulletproof vests when they have been acquired as much as possible each year based on the optimized requests presented by the General Staff of Armenia. During the 44-day war, the armed forces were equipped with bulletproof vests and helmets, and the recruitment demand was satisfied.