Media: Armenian authorities trying to “cleanse” army of Moscow’s influence and attract “NATO personnel”

The main goal of the new personnel changes in the ranks of the Armenian Armed Forces is to get rid of personnel who have gone through the “Russian school” and are under the influence of Moscow, Report informs referring to the Armenian newspaper Hraparak.

The publication notes that although the personnel changes were planned by the Armenian authorities quite a long time ago, they took advantage of the tension that occurred on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border on February 12 to divert public attention from the main essence of the personnel changes.

“However, in fact, as our sources in the Defense Ministry previously reported, the purpose of the massive personnel changes is completely different. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Defense Minister Suren Papikyan decided to form the military elite to their liking, getting rid of old personnel,” the newspaper writes.

“At the same time, the authorities are trying to form a new military elite by 'cleansing' the system of pro-Russian personnel, in particular those holding high positions. These are high-ranking military personnel who have gone through the 'Russian school' and are under the influence of Moscow. In return, they intend to increase the number 'NATO personnel',” the article says.

The article also notes that there was one symbolic exception among yesterday’s appointments. He is the new commander of the Armenian-Russian joint group of forces, General Artak Budagyan.

According to the article, the decision to appoint Budagyan was made in order “not to upset the Russian generals.”