"If you believe, for instance, that corruption is at the heart of the problems in the Armenian army, then the mere resignation of RoA Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan will not rectify the problem and those guilty will not be punished." This was the gist of the argument made by military analyst Vahram Mirakyan at a press conference held today. He noted that he was surprised that the press in Armenia had reported that citizens had called on DM Ohanyan to commit suicide.

Mr. Mirakyan said such incidents occur in the armies of the United States and Russia, but that citizens in those countries don’t call for the resignations of their defense ministers. Gayaneh Arustamyam, a reporter with Hraparak newspaper countered by saying that the defense minister of Great Britain had offered his resignation when a British soldier was killed for failing to wear his armoured vest. The analyst charged the press with not checking their facts and with making uncalled for generalizations when it came to the condition of the Armenian army. Mr. Mirakyan said that the press should check their facts with the Ministry of Defense before reporting such news that defames the standing of the Armenian army. He went on to say that the Azerbaijani press only wrote in positive terms about their army, which is even worse than writing about its shortcomings. ‘It is better to write only the negative stuff than to write nothing at all. Not being critical leads to a blunting of alertness," Mr. Mirakyan concluded.