Armenian Armed Forces Will Not Be Disbanded: Balasanyan

On November 14, the newspaper “Aparaj” sent the following inquiry to the Secretary of the Security Council of Artsakh, Vitaly Balasanyan: “During the session of the Armenian government on November 10, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan referred to the proposal made by Artsakh regarding the disbandment of the Artsakh Defense Army, stating, ‘On October 31, at the trilateral meeting in Sochi, I presented the proposal from the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is to create a demilitarized zone around Nagorno-Karabakh with international guarantees, consequently eliminating the need for a Defense Army of such scale.’ Furthermore, during an interview with Armenian Public Television on November 11, the reporter commented on Pashinyan’s speech, adding, ‘It is also said from Artsakh that if Russian peacekeepers are deployed along the entire contact line, there may be protective units instead of the Defense Army.’ In the interview, Pashinyan avoided directly answering the question, stating that the issue is a subject of discussion. Are you aware of the proposal made by Artsakh regarding the disbandment of the Defense Army and the activation of protective units? Which body has voiced this proposal from Artsakh?”

In response to the inquiry from “Aparaj,” the Secretary of the Security Council of Artsakh stated, “I would like to inform you that during the interview given to the Armenian Public Television on November 11, the statement made by the Prime Minister of Armenia, ‘It is also said from Artsakh that if Russian peacekeepers are deployed along the entire contact line, there may be protective units instead of the Defense Army,’ regarding this proposed idea, the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh have never made such a proposal to the Armenian authorities, neither in writing nor verbally.

Addressing the specific questions presented in your inquiry, I would like to inform you of the following: 1. The Armed Forces of the Republic of Artsakh will not be disbanded. On the contrary, structural changes have been implemented to align the army with modern conditions. 2. No state body of the Republic of Artsakh has made such a proposal. 3. The unified viewpoint of the military and political authorities of the Republic of Artsakh is to preserve the Armed Forces of Artsakh at all costs, to supplement them with both personnel and modern technical means, and to maintain armed forces capable of fulfilling combat missions.”