November 19, 2020 - 18:00 AMT
Armenia: Ex military official levels accusations at Pashinyan

Former chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Army Movses Hakobyan has thrown accusations at Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and other top officials, after the Armenian side lost significant territories in a war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh.

Hakobyan, who was the head of the military control service of the Armenian Ministry of Defense before his recent resignation, said Thursday, November 19 that as of September 30, Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and Armenia had implemented their replenishment plans by 70% and 52%, respectively.

"A crime has been committed", Hakobyan said, adding that the head of state has stopped the buildup process and instructed to send volunteers to the front at the beginning of war, and that officials who were told to carry out the commands have recorded the conversation.

According to him, the Armenian side has made no concessions until the 3rd day of the war thanks to soldiers fighting hard, but the Azerbaijani forces managed to break the line of contact because of lack of supplies from Armenia.

Hakobyan also weighed in on his replacement in the post of the chief of the General Staff, Artak Davtyan, who he said is "the most unprepared general" to be appointed in the position: "From then on, the process of disintegration of the army began. This is not betrayal, this is ignorance, lack of knowledge of the art of war and the system of government."

Davtyan was removed from the post in the summer of 2020, when Colonel-General Onik Gasparyan was named the new chief of the General Staff of the country's Armed Forces.

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