Appointing Deputy Prime Minister Suren Papikyan to the position of Minister of Defense was due to the need to see a member of my political team hold that position. This is what Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan declared during today’s question-and-answer session with government officials in parliament today, responding to a question from deputy of the opposition “With Honor” faction Tigran Abrahamyan.

The deputy particularly recalled that a few defense ministers have been changed at once over the past year. “At the same time, Arshak Karapetyan was dismissed right when the situation escalated, and this sparks many questions. The people need to receive the answers to all their questions of interest,” the MP added.

In response, Pashinyan declared that the change of ministers and especially the defense minister can rarely be discussed openly.

“After all, citizens of Armenia aren’t the only ones listening to the speeches in parliament. When I held consultations with heads of a large number of departments at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the well-known events, the heads of departments asked me to appoint a person who would be fully part of the political content of the current government’s work,” he said.