David Tonoyan: Nikol Pashinyan Becomes Agitated Remembering Me and Military Personnel

The former Minister of Defense of Armenia, David Tonoyan, who has been in custody since September 30, 2021, and is held at the Yerevan penitentiary, has responded in writing to several questions posed by News.am.

It is noted that the questions to David Tonoyan were sent before the attack by the Azerbaijani armed forces on Armenia's sovereign territory on September 13.

Mr. Tonoyan, charges have been brought against Jalal Harutyunyan, and a decision has been made to detain Mikhail Arzumanyan. Two years after the 44-day war, there is a decision to initiate processes around high-ranking military personnel. Do you see this as solely aiming to pursue criminal charges, or do you also perceive political motives?

I assess all statements made by the Prime Minister regarding the criminal proceedings involving high-ranking and senior officers during the pre-investigation and trial phases as political guidance and an attempt to influence the bodies conducting the criminal proceedings. I have also observed that Mr. Pashinyan becomes significantly agitated when recalling me and the military personnel, who have selflessly fought and taken on heavy responsibilities, in various forums.

Those who threaten to pursue us “until the end of our lives” must be well aware that they have given and continue to give many grounds to deserve such treatment. It is also worth remembering the “boomerang effect.”

As a result of signing the peace treaty, it is possible that Russian peacekeepers will leave Artsakh. In this case, will it be possible to ensure the security of the people of Artsakh?

I cannot make predictions both about the peace treaty and the mission of the Russian peacekeepers, as, like our public, I have no information regarding the logic of the negotiations. Currently, the trilateral statement signed in November 2020 continues to be in effect, which guarantees the presence of peacekeepers in Artsakh for at least three years. I have no grounds to believe that three years from now, the “peace treaty” will ensure the security of the people of Artsakh. Therefore, the main imperative has been and remains the enhancement of the combat readiness of the Armenian Armed Forces and the Artsakh Defense Army, the guarantors of the security of the Armenian people.