Opposition MP on Quarterly Gatherings

The MP from the "Honorary Title" faction of the National Assembly, Tigran Abrahamyan, writes:

“According to the government's decision, from August 1, 2022, to October 30, 2022, the Armenia Armed Forces will hold reserve training gatherings for a three-month period. Despite the fact that the purpose stated in the decision is that the necessity for the gatherings is due to 'strengthening the combat readiness of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, and the need to involve reserve personnel and vehicles in training gatherings and combat duty,' just days ago, the Minister of Defense presented a different purpose in the National Assembly.

The Minister, referring to the necessity for opposition representatives' involvement in these gatherings, noted, 'It is rightly said that saving the country in Yerevan is easy when done under soft and calm conditions, but you are certainly not saving it; you are attempting to lead the country into uncertainty. I declared the past month to be an engineering month; come and participate in the engineering works, participate in the quarterly gatherings.'

Let me remind you that the concept of quarterly gatherings was introduced a few months ago as a means to punish those with opposition viewpoints by the chairman of the National Assembly's Defense and Security Committee, who urged law enforcement agencies to provide the names of citizens who had taken to the streets, especially those detained, to include them in the quarterly gatherings.

Incidentally, despite the authorities constantly discussing the training, retraining, and enhancement of the combat readiness of reserves after the 44-day war, it appears from the government's decision that the primary purpose of these gatherings is to involve personnel in combat duty, and according to Papikyan, to also conduct engineering activities.

I, myself a proponent of active gatherings for reservists who believe that countries like Armenia must have a combat-ready reserve force, find it offensive as a reserve officer when the inclusion of quarterly gatherings at a high state level is defined as a punitive measure.

This, of course, primarily speaks to the language of thought, essence, and ideological emptiness of today's authorities.

I value the involvement of individuals with opposition views in quarterly gatherings from another perspective. In my conversations with many who have received notifications, I note that participation in the gatherings, setting aside the political aspect, is not only a crucial mission to participate in the country’s defense but also an opportunity to deeply study the situation within the army, the currently noticeable negative trends and detrimental practices.

I have asked a group of citizens with connections to the army and analytical skills, about ten in total, to take notes during the days of the quarterly gatherings about all organizational, combat preparation, and ideological issues, and later bring them into professional discussion contexts.

The open or closed format of the discussions, as well as their subsequent publicity, will depend on the nature of the topic, security considerations, and the situational specifics, but the collection of information and the categorization of issues is a priority.

P.S. Those who have surrendered the country, taken countless lives, and catered to Azerbaijani whims continue to mock the opposition, claiming, 'saviors.' Well, it’s clear that your grip on power must be relinquished so that we can at least save what you have not yet surrendered, ensuring the conditions for the physical existence and dignified life of Armenians in this region.”