Armenia: Conflict brewing between Defense Ministry and lawmaker

PanARMENIAN.Net - Conflict is brewing between Andranik Kocharyan, the Chairman of the Standing Committee on the Armenian parliament’s Defense and Security, and the Defense Ministry of Armenia.

The Defense Ministry said Kocharyan, who served as the country's First Deputy Defense Minister in the 1990s, does not have a sufficient level of knowledge in his field, after the lawmaker said "the commander of the Armenian Air Force does not fly".

Kocharyan "does not even have basic knowledge”, the Ministry of Defense said, adding that there is no “air force” in the Armenian Forces, but an Aviation Department, whose chief, Colonel Gagik Aslanyan, is not only "flying", but also a first-class pilot.

According to the Defense Ministry, Colonel Aslanyan can fly four types of aircraft, including SU-30-SM planes, has more than 1,500 flight hours and is considered a professional in his field.

The exchange comes days after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev have signed a deal to end the war in Karabakh after almost 45 days. Karabakh (Artsakh) President Arayik Harutyunyan said on Tuesday that he has agreed to the deal signed by Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan.