Anahit Avanesyan Responds to Andranik Kocharyan's Controversial Statement

I was deeply saddened by the reckless statement made by Mr. Andranik Kocharyan today, and I must emphasize again that our honorable and bright young men serve in the Armenian army, who prefer to fulfill their duty to the homeland even before completing their education. This was stated by Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan.

“Serving in the army is an honor and a great school of life that cannot be replaced by anything else. Best wishes to all our soldiers for their service and success in their studies; they are all the pride of our country,” she wrote.

Earlier, in a conversation with reporters, Kocharyan, a member of the ruling party, explained why his son did not serve: “My son is a very high-caliber young man. If you had the level of knowledge that he has, you wouldn’t serve either,” said Andranik Kocharyan, Chairman of the Defense Committee, responding to a journalist's question about why his son did not serve.