Armenian Army faces criticism amidst allegations of mismanagement

Chair of the European Party of Armenia, Tigran Khzmalyan, has brought sharp criticism to the state of Armenian Armed Forces, labeling the situation as "simply disgraceful."

Speaking to Armenian media, Khzmalyan highlighted a range of issues plaguing the military, pointing towards a need for substantial reform, Caliber.Az reports.

"The US recently announced that it is sending a special attache to study Armenia's military needs. And it's not just about weapons. The US understands very well the problems in the post-Soviet countries. These problems are now being studied in Ukraine, before that they were studied in Georgia and other countries. So we are neither the first nor the last here,” Khzmalyan expressed, shedding light on the international attention drawn towards Armenia's military challenges.

He emphasized the necessity for fundamental changes, stating, "they realize that it's not only that 152-mm artillery should be replaced with 155-mm artillery or the uniforms should be changed to normal uniforms. First of all the personnel should be changed, and first of all the structure of the Soviet Army should be changed."

In a scathing critique of the military leadership, Khzmalyan remarked, "They are not in vain categorically not engaged with colonels, generals, majors, empty hope. Do you know who they are dealing with? Only sergeants. They realize that war is sergeants, that the army is sergeants, the military academy and all military knowledge is sergeants, and in the Armenian army they train sergeants who will already prepare soldiers who will become lieutenants and captains."

Recounting a troubling conversation with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Khzmalyan revealed disturbing insights into the state of the army's command structure. "When we met with him in these past years in the format of extra-parliamentary meetings... He (Pashinyan - ed.) said something terrible," Khzmalyan recalled. "Pashinyan said that he knows that some of the military commanders are unfit to serve in the army, he knows that in every military unit everything is sold, that every colonel and general has a store or some other business."

Khzmalyan's allegations extended further, describing a system rife with corruption and malpractice. "Do you realize that this is our army, it is a classic model of that Russian army - one in the same," he remarked.

Concluding his statements, Khzmalyan painted a grim picture of the broader state of governance in Armenia. "And we understand perfectly well that this is not only the situation in the army. The situation is absolutely the same shameful, if not worse, in the Interior Ministry, in special services, and specifically in the National Security Service."