Defense Minister Papikyan: Military’s Sole Mission is to Protect Armenian Sovereign Territory

YEREVAN — Armenia is not seeking to retake the nearly 200 square kilometers of its sovereign territory currently under Azerbaijani occupation through military means, as the delimitation process offers an opportunity for peaceful resolution, Defense Minister Suren Papikyan said on Wednesday.

“The ongoing reforms, expenditures, and investments in the military are aimed at one essential goal: to have a professional, combat-ready, and modern army capable of defending the 29,743 square kilometers of the Republic of Armenia’s sovereign territory. This is the sole mission of the military. We are duty-bound to fulfill it,” Papikyan stated during the 2025 budget debates in parliament.

Regarding the occupied territories, Papikyan noted, “We do not aim to resolve that issue militarily, as the delimitation process provides an opportunity for peaceful negotiations.”

Papikyan also expects that in the next two years, more professional and highly qualified officers will join the military. “Bringing skilled and disciplined personnel into the military is a priority,” he told lawmakers, highlighting recent programs that will result in an influx of officers with higher professional qualifications.

He mentioned that since 2022-2023, the government has been providing free housing in Yerevan to servicemembers appointed to officer positions. Additionally, cadet remuneration at military educational facilities has increased by 3 to 10 times.

Papikyan announced a new service option, the “Homeland Defender” program, allowing servicemembers to voluntarily extend their service after completing mandatory duties. “We have repeatedly said that professional servicemembers must be the foundation of our army. This is a hybrid system, with mandatory service continuing as a resource to supplement the ranks of the professional army. Today, many young people are joining our army under the Homeland Defender program,” he said.

Papikyan also called for a purge within government agencies of officials who arrange for their underage sons to renounce Armenian citizenship to avoid compulsory military service. “We should subject that entourage of ours to lustration,” he told the National Assembly, adding that he has asked Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to initiate this process in the state governance system.

“A state official should not allow their own child or even the children of their inner circle and relatives to renounce Armenian citizenship,” Papikyan emphasized.