Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the Ministry of Defense to introduce the newly appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, First Deputy Minister of Defense Edvard Asryan to the top-ranking officers of the Armed Forces.
The Prime Minister first thanked Lieutenant General Kamo Kochunts for performing the duties of the Chief of General Staff for the past six months. He also wished Mr. Asryan success in fulfilling his mission in this important position.
“You already know that certain legislative changes have also taken place, and the Chief of the General Staff will also be the First Deputy Minister of Defense from the moment the law enters into force, with the consequences arising from this. We made this decision by analyzing a number of events that have taken place in the recent years, including the issues of cooperation between the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff. I think, naturally, the right decision has been made. I want to express my hope that as a result of the implementation of this decision, the effectiveness of our work in the field of the Armed Forces, army reforms will become even more effective,” PM Pashinyan stated.
The newly appointed Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces Edvard Asryan said, in turn: “The primary task of the Armed Forces is to ensure the military security of the state, therefore, assuming this responsible position, also considering that the Staff is a collegial body, and the Chief of the General Staff is the first deputy to the Minister of Defense, we will work in the General Staff based on the principle of collegiality, definitely by the decision of the Chief of the General Staff and will present proposals to the Minister of Defense. In that responsible position, Honorable Mr. Prime Minister, I undertake to fulfill all the envisaged functional duties and fulfill the tasks set before the Armed Forces.”
According to the established procedure, during a solemn ceremony Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan handed over the military flag of the Armed Forces to the newly appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Edvard Asryan.
