Pashinyan forms task force to tackle suicides, hazing in Armenian Army

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has established an interagency working group tasked with addressing suicides, hazing and other disciplinary problems within the country’s armed forces.

The decision establishing the group has been published on the Armenian government’s website, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

The 11-member group brings together senior officials from key government and security institutions, including the ministers of defence, health, and education, science, culture and sports; the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces; the Secretary of the Security Council; relevant deputy interior ministers; the heads of the National Security Service and Prosecutor General’s Office; and the head of the Military Police.

The group is expected to coordinate efforts to examine the causes of suicides and hazing in the military and develop measures to address the problems.

The move follows Pashinyan’s earlier remarks on incidents within the armed forces and concerns over discipline and personnel management. The prime minister had announced that personnel changes would be made in agencies directly responsible for addressing the situation.

Shortly afterward, Sergey Stepanyan, head of the Armed Forces’ Moral-Psychological Support Department, and Ashot Zakaryan, head of the Military Police, were removed from their positions.

By Vafa Guliyeva