I have signed a decree according to which Lieutenant General Jalal Harutyunyan of Anatoli has been relieved of the post of Minister of Defense-Commander of the Defense Army of the Artsakh Republic. Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) President Arayik Haroutyunyan stated this Tuesday morning.

"And by another decree, Major General Mikayel Arzumanyan has been appointed Minister of Defense-Commander of the Defense Army of the Artsakh Republic, conferring on him the military rank of lieutenant general.

The decision to relieve Jalal Harutyunyan is an imperative of the moment, due to the wound he sustained in the combat position recently, and it should not be a cause for misinterpretations.

I wish Jalal of Anatoli a recovery, and I am convinced that he will return to service the homeland very soon.

I am confident that Mikyael Arzumanyan realizes the degree of responsibility in the new position and will spare no effort and energy to justify that trust,” Haroutyunyan added.