In an interview with Vladimir Pozner, second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan said the combat readiness of the Armed Forces of Armenia has been consistently destroyed throughout the past three years.

The ex-president recalled that all experts say the Armenian army is the most efficient army in the South Caucasus.

Asked what the purpose of destroying the combat readiness of the army was, Kocharyan said after the events that took place in 2018 in Armenia, the new authorities had a pathological fear of and lack of confidence in the army since government officials hadn’t served in the army, discredited the heroes of the first Karabakh war, launched so-called cases against corruption through a case regarding the events of March 1, 2008, but they haven’t revealed elements of corruption. Kocharyan also stated that three chiefs of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and three commanders of the Defense Army have been replaced over the past two-and-a-half years.

Asked if the transferred lands are lost forever, Kocharyan stated that he wouldn’t claim that all is lost and that there is a chance to at least consider the issue of the territories included in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast through negotiations.