Significant Episode from the Interactions between Arzumanyan and Pashinyan

On August 30, the Armenian Investigative Committee announced the arrest of Mikayel Arzumanyan, the former commander of the Artsakh Defense Army, who holds the rank of lieutenant general. The explanation provided by the committee for the arrest of the well-known figure in Artsakh, referred to as Mishko, was succinct: he is accused of surrendering Shusha.

In reality, Arzumanyan may possess valuable information regarding who truly surrendered Shusha, or under whose orders it was handed over.

After this arrest, an intriguing episode was recounted from the final days of the war, specifically from October 26, 2020, when Mikayel Arzumanyan had been appointed as the commander of the Artsakh Defense Forces. It appears that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan frequently called Arzumanyan to inquire about the situation at the front, always asking the same question: “Have you surrendered Shusha?” Arzumanyan was initially surprised by this question, but one day he became quite frustrated, asking, “Should we give it up?”

As Pashinyan's frequent intervention and his “pointless questions” irritated Arzumanyan, he sharply responded: “From now on, direct your questions to Onik Viktorovich,” referring to the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Onik Gasparyan. Following this exchange, the relationship between Arzumanyan and Pashinyan soured further. Moreover, on the eve of the fall of Shusha, enemy drones struck a position in Shusha that, according to military officials, was impossible to guess without knowing the coordinates.

For more details, read today’s issue of the newspaper.