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Soldier deaths causing unrest in Armenia

19 September 2014 15:31 (UTC+04:00)
Soldier deaths causing unrest in Armenia

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

Frequent non-combat deaths in the army have turned into a serious challenge for the Armenian government.

Now the desperate parents of soldiers, who have died in unknown conditions, are protesting to put the spotlight on bad conditions in the Armenian army.

Massive poisoning, careless use of weapons, different virus and infection diseases, along chronic illnesses, as well as high murder cases are the realities of the contemporary Armenian army.

Local media say terrible hygienic and sanitary norms have given rise to intestinal bacterial growth, almost ending with fatalities. Forty soldiers were hospitalized early this August after poisoning due to use of dirty dishes. The situation degrades day by day, leaving no hope for improvement.

Mothers of the soldiers, who died in non-combat conditions, gathered before the presidential palace in Yerevan on September 18 to demand a meeting with the head of state.

Senior Deputy Head of the Presidential Office, Gurgen Dumanyan received the mothers of two dead soldiers two weeks ago, ensuring them the president was informed about the issue.

The mothers, dissatisfied with Dumanyan's statements, called him "a liar". "The Presidential Office is full of liars. Shame on them! We're deceived and our hearts are broken. Why do they continue to lie?" Irina Kazaryan, one of the mothers said.

The parents insisted that the head of state is not unaware of what was happening in the army. "In a meeting with Aida Asatryan, Head of the Reception of Citizens, Appeals, Complaints and Proposals Department, we realized that she is unaware of our complaints," Kazaryan indignantly added. Asatryan, in turn, promised to pass their appeals to officials at higher levels.

Nana Muradyan, another mother, said they have decided to fight till they are allowed to meet the president.

Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan had held talks with the parents of died soldiers earlier in July, promising to organize their meeting with President Serzh Sargsyan. He even assured them that the commander-in-chief will respond to their complaints.

Armenian army is reportedly deemed as the weakest army in the region. The latest 2014 report of Global Firepower Index, which provides world military strength rankings, didn't even include Armenia into its 106-country list. Armenia's neighbors Russia ranked the second, Turkey was the eighth, Azerbaijan was the 50th and Georgia was the 64th in the report.

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