The head of the Military Police of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia doesn’t agree with the view that the scandalous incident that took place at the military unit in Meghri was also the result of poor work of the Military Police. This is what Head of the Military Police, Colonel Artur Baghdasaryan told Armenian News-NEWS.am today as he talked about the incident for the first time.

Armenian News-NEWS.am: To this day, many people are asking questions about the mass exodus of military servicemen from the premises of the military unit in Meghri. How would you interpret the incident?

Artur Baghdasaryan: The Military Police has a negative attitude towards such incidents. We didn’t force a soldier to serve. They were recruited to fulfill their duty and shouldn’t have left the premises of the military unit like that. The particular military unit has a superior command to which the servicemen could have complained and give a solution. The conflict is over. There is no privileged military servicemen at that military unit. The rest will be established through investigation.

Armenian News-NEWS.am: Based on the data of the investigation, certain military servicemen had special rooms and served in special conditions. What do you have to say about that?

Artur Baghdasaryan: All soldiers come from different families. There are children who might picture themselves as privileged, but there are no privileged military servicemen in the army.

Armenian News-NEWS.am: So, there are no privileged soldiers in the army now?

Artur Baghdasaryan: There are no overtly outstanding military servicemen with advantages because we are carrying out activities in that direction at military units and within different subdivisions.

Armenian News-NEWS.am: There is a view that the incident at the military unit of Meghri was also the result of the poor work of the Military Police.

Artur Baghdasaryan: We don’t work poorly. Our military police officers perform their official duties.

Armenian News-NEWS.am: Is there still enhanced surveillance at the military unit in Meghri after the incident?

Artur Baghdasaryan: There has always been enhanced surveillance.

Armenian News-NEWS.am: Are there often incidents at military units that commanders keep confidential and which cause such incidents?

Artur Baghdasaryan: There can be such incidents, but we try to work closely with the commanders so that the incidents are not concealed.

Armenian News-NEWS.am: What should be done to rule out such incidents in the army?

Artur Baghdasaryan: The Military Police have to continue their explanatory and disciplinary works and take relevant preventive measures on their part in order to avoid the repetition of such incidents in the future.

If there are military servicemen who violate the law, we present them to the administration of the particular military unit, after which the administration adopts a decision to keep the military serviceman at the military unit, move him to another military unit or subject him to disciplinary liability.