Armenia started creating its army during the last years of existence of the USSR. Volunteer groups started to be formed against the background of escalation of the Karabakh conflict. They were armed with weapons they managed to get from militarized organizations, the military training classrooms and other institutions, Leta.ru writes in an article.
In 1991 defense committees were created in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh (mostly populated by Armenians). Later Armenia established the Ministry of Defense and started creating official armed forces (similar processes were underway in Nagorno Karabakh, which had declared independence from Azerbaijan).
The war in Nagorno Karabakh in the first half of 1990s became a serious test for the Armenian and Karabakh soldiers. They managed to overcome the resistance of the Azerbaijani troops, and the Nagorno Karabakh Republic de facto maintained its independence.
The article recalls that Armenia celebrated Army Day on January 28 and quotes NKR President Bako Sahakyan as saying in his congratulatory address to President Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia: “It is an undeniable fact that today the Armenian army is the most efficient and organized army in the region, which is among the greatest achievements of our nation.”
