Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan traveled to the Defense Ministry Headquarters to introduce newly appointed Chief of General Staff Artak Davtyan to the corps of senior officers of the Armed Forces.

To begin with, the Premier thanked ex-Chief of General Staff, Colonel-General Movses Hakobyan for undeniable services rendered to the Motherland and congratulated newly appointed Chief of General Staff, Major-General Artak Davtyan on appointment.

Nikol Pashinyan expressed the hope that Movses Hakobyan will make the best use of his long experience at the post of Chief Military Inspector of the Republic of Armenia to ensure consistency in increasing the combat readiness of the Armed Forces. Emphasizing that the Armed Forces are enjoying our people’s perfect trust, the Prime Minister noted that confidence implies some problems that should be addressed promptly, but without rash steps.

“Starting from the Prime Minister down to the lowest-ranked public official in the State system, we should set ourselves the task of substituting the feeling of doing a job with that of implementing a mission because the moral-psychological basis is the key to dealing with seemingly insurmountable problems. Accordingly, our most important task is to match the combat readiness of our troops to the complex of pre-estimated and predictable military threats and the war scenario in a bid to defy the enemy’s potential aggression. I consider it important that the Government of Armenia and the Ministry of Defense fully comply with their statutory commitments to servicemen’s needs. After all, we should be able to provide servicemen with all necessary supplies,” Nikol Pashinyan said.

In this regard, the Prime Minister said he expected the newly appointed Chief of General Staff to stop the practice of servicemen’s making regular phone calls to their parents in quest of uniforms, hygiene items and so on.

From the army management perspective, the Head of Government highlighted the principle of providing single leadership, raising the training standard in the Armed Forces not only in terms of military skills, but also in terms of general learning.

“Indeed, an extremely important task is to raise the level of social protection of our officers and the role of the officer, in general: a clear task is set to significantly increase the level of public revenues which, of course, should lead to greater funding for the Armed Forces,” the Premier noted, stressing the need for consistent steps to provide housing and address officers’ social problems.

“This is a crucial factor, and the Government should make serious effort to resolve these issues. I am convinced that the Armed Forces and the Security Council enjoy the necessary intellectual potential and an appropriate atmosphere to make reforms in all these areas,” Nikol Pashinyan said.

Coming to the Armed Forces 2018-2024 development program, the Prime Minister noted that it should be implemented consistently in line with the modern standards in order to change the military-political situation and live up to the real needs of the Armed Forces.

Summing up his speech, Nikol Pashinyan stated: “I hope that we have given up the policy of direct or indirect political intervention in army affairs once and for all. The army defends our country’s borders and security. By saying army, I mean the soldier standing face to face with the enemy and his back turned to the homeland. I am confident that the army has no right to look back politically. Our army’s cautious eye should face the enemy, and that very principle must be observed and enforced at all levels.”
Movses Hakobyan thanked his former colleagues for joint service and cooperation. He wished every success to the newly appointed Chief of General Staff, hopeful that the traditions forged in the Armed Forces would be maintained and developed. Newly appointed Chief of General Staff Artak Davtyan thanked the Prime Minister for confidence and went on to assure that he would try to live up to the task.

Then, according to the established procedure, a solemn ceremony of handing down the office of Chief of General Staff was held: Movses Hakobyan handed over the military standard of the Armed Forces to Artak Davtyan.