MP Abrahamyan slams poor certification results in security sector

MP Tigran Abrahamyan of the opposition Pativ Unem faction has criticized what he called the government’s self-congratulatory tone at the ongoing parliamentary debates on the 2024 state budget execution.

“Everyone is praising their work and talking about progress, but the report tells otherwise,” he wrote on Facebook on Thursday, pointing to the results of staff certification exams across key security agencies.

According to the 2024 data, only 57% of military personnel passed the certification. The National Security Service recorded an even lower pass rate, with just 35% of candidates meeting the required standards. Among the police force, only 1,031 out of 4,063 officers passed the test. Similarly, of the 1,805 rescue service members evaluated, only 496 achieved a passing score.

“Even the highest score reported by the Defense Ministry is insufficient. It means 43% failed in areas like physical fitness, professional knowledge and weapons training. These figures don’t reflect reforms, but are indicators of failure,” Abrahamyan stated.