PM Pashinyan & The Art of Lying

 

For the last several days Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has been yelling and screaming in the streets of Yerevan that senior officers of The Armed Forces of The Republic of Armenia are actively pursuing a plot to assassinate him and/or to depose his government.

This alleged plot/coup, according to the laws of the realm, is nothing but a criminal endeavor that undermines the democratic process to impose on a nation a government that matches more the expectations of The Army, coincidentally, a mirror reflection of what opposition groups have been seeking since the signature of the infamous Nov. 9, 2020 trilateral agreement that formalized Armenia’s capitulation following a disastrous 44-day war.

Any foreign observer, with a minimum understanding of how a “coup d'état” is executed, knows well that before the arrival of the “Zero Hour”, a very high level of abnormal suspicious activities must take place within the rebellious army units entrusted with the task of implementing the orders received from the top brass determined to overthrow the government. 

Unscheduled troop rotations, high volume of “authorized leaves” cancellations, unusual interest by the army with buildings housing the parliament, the Prime Minister’s Office, major TV and radio stations, etc…attract attention, especially the attention of the National Security Service of Armenia (NSS), a key player in the defence of the constitutional order in the country, and an institution that managed to foil since Nov. 09, 2020 attempts by groups from the Syunik region to assassinate the PM and seize power in Armenia.

Unlike professional intelligence agencies in Western democracies, The NSS of Armenia is firmly dedicated to catering to the whims and the obsessive attachment with power thus far displayed by PM Pashinyan. Yet, ironically The NSS, with its unblemished record of protecting Pashinyan, did not make any statement or provide any solid evidence that Colonel-General Onik Victory Gasparyan, and/or all the high ranking officers who denounced the measures taken by Pashinyan to remove Gasparyan from his leadership position, are conspiring to depose the government. 

The NSS remained silent on The Army’s Declaration, but the biggest support to the allegations made by Mr. Pashinyan against Col. General Gasparyan came from Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who twitted on Feb. 25, 2021 the following message: “Wherever a coup takes place in the world, we condemn it. We also strongly condemn this attempt in Armenia.”

Let us not forget that Minister Cavusoglu serves a master (Erdogan) who has a strong disdain for freedom of expression, who has jailed hundreds of journalists for perceived failures to support his egotistic policies, and like Mr. Pashinyan Erdogan displays an obsessive attachment to power. 

We urge our readers to analyze carefully the declaration made by The Army, triggered by a Prime Minister who, unable to tolerate perspectives that do not echo his positive views of his own self, decided to dismiss Col. General Gasparyan from his current position. A personal grudge became, in the arsenal of Mr. Pashinyan, another political ploy to deflect popular anger and stay in power.

Chief of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, Colonel-General Onik Victory Gasparyan

  Mr. Pashinyan’s personal vendetta to destroy the reputation of Col. General Gasparyan, goes back to June 12, 2020. During a face-to-face meeting between the Prime Minister and The Commander of The Army, and after a lengthy discussion of the most recent intelligence available to The Army, Gasparyan without mincing words, warned Pashinyan that “Our opponent is no longer only Azerbaijan, but also Turkey. Therefore, Armenia cannot effectively confront the joint military potential of these states and it is necessary to direct all the political and diplomatic potential to avoid or at least postpone the war.”

To the Prime Minister seeking a diplomatic solution was an anathema. Looking tough by fighting a war that he cannot win, was the only solution that can guarantee his political survival. Sacrificing thousands of young Armenians on the altar of political expediency was more important than listening to the advice of a professional soldier who honestly admitted that he cannot win the coming war.

The statement made by our high ranking army officers, reproduced in full below our article, is nothing but an honourable dissenting view that does not carry any implicit or explicit threat to assassinate PM Pashinyan or overthrow his government.

Democracy is meaningless if it cannot tolerate opposing views that do not support the miscalculations of a government. And army officers are not strictly professionals defending the territorial integrity of a nation. They are also citizens dedicated to the protection of the collective values that have shaped the identity of our nation for the last several centuries. Army officers have also a moral obligation to warn a nation, well before a calamity destroys the entire country by the hands of a divisive reckless Prime Minister, who is driving a wedge between the citizens of Armenia and the institution that heroically sacrificed thousands of lives, in the hills and valleys of Artsakh, to keep the shadow of Aliyev away from Stepanakert.

In conclusion, for the average psychologist or psychiatrist monitoring the behaviour of PM Pashinyan since Nov. 09, 2020, obvious signs support the assertion that PM Pashinyan is no longer able to  tell the difference between exercising caution and becoming paranoid.

====================================

STATEMENT OF THE GENERAL HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMENIAN ARMED FORCES

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia expresses its resolute protest against the dismissal of the First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia for short-sighted reasons, which was carried out without taking into account the national-state interests of the Republic of Armenia. In such difficult conditions for the country, such a decision is an irresponsible step. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and the government, are no longer able to make adequate decisions in this critical situation for the Armenian people.

For a long time, the RA Armed Forces patiently tolerated the “attacks” aimed at discrediting the Armed Forces by the current government, but everything has its limits.

The RA Armed Forces has fulfilled its duty with honor, to fight with its people against the enemy.

Inefficient governance of the current authorities, serious mistakes in foreign policy have brought the country to the brink of collapse.

Due to the current situation, the RA Armed Forces demand the resignation of the RA Prime Minister and the government, at the same time warning to refrain from using force against the people whose children died defending the Homeland and Artsakh. The army has always been with the people, as the people have been with the army.

The announcement was signed:

Chief of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, Colonel-General Onik Victory Gasparyan

First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Tiran Vazgeni Khachatryan

Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Stepan Robert Galstyan

Chief of the Operative General Department of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces – Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Karen Andranik Abrahamyan

Commander of the RA Armed Forces Joint Group, Lieutenant General Tigran Janibek Parvanyan

Head of the General Staff Management Department of the RA General Staff, Major General Albert Razmiki Baghdasaryan

Chief of the RA Armed Forces Communication Troops, Major General Temur Norik Shahnazaryan

Chief of the State Department of Missile Troops and Artillery of the RA Armed Forces, Major General Armen Samson Harutyunyan

Chief of the RA Armed Forces Air Defense Troops, Major General Armen Grisha Vardanyan

Chief of the Department of Engineering Troops of the RA Armed Forces, Major General Ishkhan Zhoray Matosyan

Chief of the RA Armed Forces Rear Department, Major General Romik Poghos Margaryan

Assistant to the Chief of General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, Major General Komitas Razmik Muradyan

Head of the Moral Support Department of the RA Armed Forces, Colonel Arthur Arisi Poghosyan

Head of the Administrative Department of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, Colonel Suren A. Harutyunyan

Head of the Aviation Department of the RA Armed Forces, Colonel Gagik Alibek Aslanyan

Head of the Military Medical Department of the RA Armed Forces, Colonel Sahak Robert Ohanyan

Colonel Vardan Vaspuraki Nshanyan, Head of the Head Department of the RA Armed Forces RCPP Troops

Colonel Arthur Sergey Kumelov, Chief of the RA Armed Forces General Staff REP Troops

Head of the Finance Department of the RA Armed Forces General Staff, Colonel Vardan Manvel Sahakyan

Head of the RA Armed Forces General Staff Service Department, Colonel Ara Mikaeli Petrosyan

First Deputy Head of the Operative General Department of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, Major General Stepan Grigory Gorgyan

Chief of the Operative Department of the RA Armed Forces General Staff, Major General Edward Edison Asryan

Head of the Strategic Planning Department of the Operative General Department of the RA Armed Forces General Staff, Colonel Armen A. Arstamyan

Deputy Head of the RA Armed Forces Defense Department, Colonel Armen Yakov Seyranyan

Major General Valerik Ashot Kocharyan, Head of the Combat Training Department of the RA Armed Forces General Training Department

Colonel Aram Zhora Grigoryan, Head of the Physical Training and Sports Department of the General Training Department of the RA Armed Forces

Colonel Hrach Lyudvik Stepanyan, Deputy Chief of Staff of the General Staff Management Department of the RA Armed Forces General Staff

Colonel Gagik Benik Ghulyan, Head of the Mobilization Department of the General Staff Management Department of the RA Armed Forces General Staff

Colonel Levon Misha Davidyan, Deputy Head of the Information-Analytical Department of the General Department of Intelligence of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces

Colonel Artak Sashiki Asatryan, Head of the Special Purpose and Military Intelligence Department of the General Intelligence Department of the RA Armed Forces General Staff

Colonel Arthur A. Tevanyan, Head of the Department of Radio-Electronic and Technical Means of the General Department of Intelligence of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces

Chief of the Security Service of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, Colonel Rustam Ashot Karapetyan

Chief of the RA Armed Forces General Staff Standardization and Metrology Service, Colonel Georgy Ashot Vardanyan

Chief Military Chief Conductor of the RA Armed Forces General Staff, Colonel Armen K. Poghosyan

Chief of the Military Geographical Service of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Sergey Hovsep Petrosyan

Commander of the 1st Army Corps of the RA Armed Forces, Major General Jirayr Hamlet Poghosyan

Commander of the 2nd Army Corps of the RA Armed Forces, Major General Arayik Robert Harutyunyan

Commander of the 3rd Army Corps of the RA Armed Forces, Major General Grigory Yuri Khachaturov

Commander of the 4th Army Corps of the RA Armed Forces, Major General Artak Emili Budaghyan

Commander of the 5th Army Corps of the RA Armed Forces, Colonel Smbat Volodia Grigoryan