Opposition leader: Top officials to blame for 2020 war failures

Seyran Ohanyan, head of the opposition Hayastan faction, on Monday raised questions about government accountability during the 2020 Artsakh war.

Speaking at parliamentary hearings on the Investigative Committee's annual report on Monday, Ohanyan emphasized that responsibility for the war effort did not rest solely on the military. "Apart from the army, all branches of power – the legislative, executive and judicial – were responsible for fulfilling their wartime duties," he stated.

The opposition leader criticized the Investigative Committee's focus on lower-ranking military personnel, noting that its chairman, Artur Poghosyan, primarily referred to cases involving officers and soldiers. “You mentioned only officers and soldiers. Does this state have leadership or not? Did that leadership play a role in making military and political decisions, mobilizing and supporting the army?” Ohanyan asked.

He stressed that frontline commanders cannot be solely blamed for failures on the battlefield. “No local commander is guilty simply because there was an incursion somewhere. The real responsibility lies with those who understood the broader military-political situation and were obligated to take appropriate actions,” he added.

Ohanyan questioned whether Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan himself had been questioned as part of the war probe.

“Has the country’s leader, Nikol Pashinyan, been questioned as part of a probe into any war episode?” he asked.

Arthur Poghosyan reiterated that they had to examine the accountability of military personnel regarding specific war episodes. “Globally, we are analyzing how various factors influenced the outcome of the war,” he added.