Prime minister’s move to relieve me of duties ‘not subject to discussion,’ former defense official says

The prime minister’s decision to dismiss me and my deputies from office is linked only to structural reforms, the recently sacked inspector of the Armed Forces said today, expressing his overall positive evaluation of the move.

“The prime minister’s decisions are not subject to any discussion. Do not look for ulterior motives,” Movses Hakobyan told Tert.am.

Asked whether his status as a witness in the “March 1” criminal case could have contributed to the move, the former defense official dismissed any connection to the proceeding. “It is absolutely unrelated [to the case]. Just open the decision to get familiarized with the justifications,” he added.

Hakobyan also denied the reports attributing the somewhwat unexpected move to the April 2016 heavy offensives along the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) frontline. He said he hasn’t been invited to the parliament committee investigating the circumstances behind the Four-Day War.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed the decision to relieve Hakobyan and two of his deputies of duties earlier today.