The Armenian authorities have taken no measures to enhance the army's combat efficiency this year, second Armenian President and opposition Hayastan bloc leader Robert Kocharyan told a year-end news conference on Monday.
He recalled that the Armenian military suffered dozens of casualties in 2021.
"During this year, we have had 36 casualties. This figure may vary depending on sources. We have 32 wounded and 30 new prisoners of war. Having more than 30 POWs as a result of the fighting for 2 to 3 positions speaks to the most serious problems in the military. It just doesn't happen that way," the ex-president said.
Kocharyan believes the Armenia troops might have been under the impression of Nikol Pashinyan’s statement.
"Let me remind you that he [Pashinyan} said that he does not intend to start a war because of a mountain. Your country is made up of mountains. It is the same as if the Arabs would say, 'We will not fight for a desert”. Such a statement is a call to Azerbaijan to some extent, because it is clearly and directly stated that we will not fight for uninhabited mountains. If the first person of the state thinks so, why do we expect a major or a contract soldier of our country's armed forces to think otherwise? This is simply the best way to reduce the combat efficiency of the army," Kocharyan underlined.
In the former president’s words, no steps have been taken during 2021 to restore armaments lost during the war.
"In fact, nothing or almost nothing has been done. A complete list of the war victims has not yet been published, which is an utter disgrace. We should have had memorial books with the names of the fallen soldiers and their short biographies. This is an obligation the state has failed to fulfil," he noted.
Touching upon the security of the country, Robert Kocharyan cited the results of the polls, according to which 70-80% of the people are deeply concerned about the security issues.
"The country cannot develop normally if 80% of the population think they live in an unsafe country. This is not normal and the current government is directly responsible for it. We are entering the next year with all these problems and a worsened situation," Kocharyan noted.
