Epress.am News from Armenia
As a result of an automobile accident around 8 pm on Oct. 16 on the Yerevan-Sevan highway, seriously injured were three military servicemen, one of whom (Edmond Alexanyan) died in hospital.
Local news site Panorama.am asked RA Deputy Defense Minister, Lieutenant-General Vladimir Gasparyan (pictured) whether the soldiers who were serving in a Yerevan military unit had the right to be on the road to Sevan and who is to blame for the loss of yet another soldier during peacetime?
The RA Ministry of Defense published Gasparyan’s response on its website:
“First, my condolences to the relatives of conscript Edmond Alexanyan who died from the car accident. Regarding the incident, I can say that the conscripts injured in the accident had permission for a short-term discharge on Sunday, but they didn’t have the right to leave the Yerevan garrison area. As a rule, ahead of a short-term discharge, soldiers receive appropriate instructions from their unit’s management. In this case, the soldiers, persuaded by their relatives, with their relative’s car, left the territory of the Yerevan garrison and set off for Sevan, from where returning with the same car the accident occurred.
“I urge parents and relatives of conscripts to refrain from unnecessary interference, which results in the violation of military regulations — with all the undesirable consequences. In this case, this car accident wouldn’t have happened if conscripts’ relatives didn’t spur them to unlawful actions.”