Pashinyan: Sargsyan left Armenian air defence system “scrap metal”

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has sharply criticised former President Serzh Sargsyan over the state of Armenia’s air defence capabilities prior to the 44-day war in 2020, describing the system left behind as “scrap metal.” The comments were shared on Pashinyan’s official Facebook page.

Addressing Sargsyan’s recent statements, in which the former president expressed bewilderment over the rapid loss of air defence assets in the early hours of the war, Pashinyan said: “And what’s so confusing about that — the air defence system you left behind, not individual assets, but the system as a whole, was scrap metal. Literally — scrap metal.”

Pashinyan accused Sargsyan of misleading the public by portraying the loss of military assets as the fault of subsequent governments. He explained that when Armenia sought assistance from its allies to modernise the outdated system, the response was largely symbolic, amounting to “one or two units” — far below what was needed.

“It wasn’t only the allies showing the three-finger gesture,” Pashinyan added, referring to the minimal support offered. “It was also pointed out that Armenia is a member of the CSTO and that the provided assets could only be deployed outside sovereign Armenian territory.”

The prime minister emphasised that the current government tried to make the most of what was available, attempting to purchase and modernise equipment following advice from senior military officials.

Pashinyan also criticised Sargsyan for allegedly involving intermediaries in public debates, referencing Sargsyan’s connections with influential figures, including his son-in-law.

In a detailed rebuttal, Pashinyan highlighted discrepancies between Sargsyan’s statements during his 2018 candidacy for prime minister and the actual condition of Armenia’s military:

“If even a small part of what you said about the army after 2020 were true, then in 2018 you should have said something completely different. But you didn’t, because as of 2018, instead of a proper system, the army had only a hose, a petrol tank, and a ‘hope it works’ approach.”

Pashinyan promised to publish comprehensive materials detailing the history of negotiations related to the conflict, including documents from 2019, as well as one of Sargsyan’s letters, to clarify the record.

By Vugar Khalilov