The Ministry of Defence of Artsakh (Armenian: Արցախի Հանրապետության պաշտպանության նախարարություն) was a government agency of the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh. It was the executive body in implementing defence policies of the Artsakh Defence Army. The final minister of defence was Lieutenant General Kamo Vardanyan. Following an Azerbaijani assault on 19 September 2023, Artsakh agreed to dissolve itself by 1 January 2024.[1]
| Formation | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 1 January 2024 |
| Headquarters | Stepanakert |
| Location | |
Official language | Armenian |
Minister of Defense | Major General Kamo Vardanyan |
| Website | www.nkrmil.am |
History
editOn 26 March 1992, the Defence Committee under the NKR Council of Ministers was established. On the initiative and under the direct leadership of the NKR Defence Committee, a number of very important and urgent events were launched during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.[2]
Assets
editMartik
editMartik is the official newspaper of the Defence Army. The first issue of the newspaper was published on March 16, 1993. It was originally called the "Combat Sheet". It was created at a time when there were no other sources of information that primarily served to convey frontline information to the public. The first editor of the official newspaper, then called the coordinator, was Valeri Atajanyan. The newspaper was edited by Hrant Aleksanyan, Vahram Atanesyan, Marcel Petrosyan and Mher Harutyunyan at different times. It is part of the Public Relations Department of the Defence Army. Currently, the editor of "Martik" is Yeraz Harutyunyan. As of 2018, it has issued 4,000 copies.[3]
Goyamart
editThe "Goyamart" TV program is a branch of the Defence Army political department that serves as the equivalent to the Armed Forces Network. People such as current National Assembly Deputy Vardges Ulubabyan had a role in its establishment.[4]
Music units
editMilitary music in the Defence Army includes a large repertoire of traditional Armenian and foreign music (mainly Russian marching music).[5] Russian marches include Den Pobedy, the March of the Preobrazhensky Regiment,[6] and the Jubilee Slow March "25 Years of the Red Army". The Ministry of Defence maintains a military band that was notably led by Nerik Grigoryan and Vagan Sargsyan[7] and participates in holidays such as the Day of the Artsakh Republic.[8] It was founded in May 1997, by the order of the Chief of Staff of the NKR Self-Defence Committee.[9] It became active by November. It is associated with the Band of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia.
The army also maintains the Song and Dance Ensemble "Aspet".
List of ministers
edit| No. | Picture | Minister of Defense | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lieutenant General Samvel Babayan (born 1965) | January 1995 | August 1999 | 4 years, 7 months | [10] | |
| 2 | Colonel General Seyran Ohanyan (born 1962) | August 1999 | 11 May 2007 | 7 years, 9 months | [11] | |
| 3 | Lieutenant general Movses Hakobyan (born 1965) | 11 May 2007 | 15 June 2015 | 8 years, 1 month | [12] | |
| 4 | Lieutenant general Levon Mnatsakanyan (born 1965) | 15 June 2015 | 14 December 2018 | 3 years, 5 months | [13] | |
| 5 | Lieutenant general Karen Abrahamyan (born 1966) | 14 December 2018 | 24 February 2020 | 1 year, 2 months | [14] | |
| 6 | Lieutenant General Jalal Harutyunyan (born 1974) | 24 February 2020 | 27 October 2020 | 247 days | [15] | |
| 7 | Lieutenant General Mikael Arzumanyan | 27 October 2020 | 11 September 2021 | 319 days | [16] | |
| 8 | Major General Kamo Vardanyan | 11 September 2021 | 1 January 2024 | 2 years, 112 days | [17] |
* Incumbent's time in office last updated: 30 November 2024.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic will cease to exist from Jan 1 2024 - Nagorno-Karabakh authorities". Reuters. 2023-09-28. Archived from the original on 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
- ^ LLC, Academy Of Development. "ԼՂՀ ՊԲ մարտական ուղու պատմության համառոտ ուղեցույց | ԼՂՀ պաշտպանության նախարարության պաշտոնական կայք". nkrmil.am (in Armenian). Archived from the original on 2021-04-24. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
- ^ "ՊԲ "Մարտիկ" պաշտոնաթերթը 25 տարեկան է. անցածի ու ներկայի մասին պատմել է Սուրեն Սարումյանը". artsakhpress.am. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
- ^ "Ուլուբաբյան Վարդգես Աշոտի". www.nankr.am. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
- ^ "ՀՀ պաշտպանության նախարարության նվագախումբը վրացական երաժշտություն է հնցեչրել' ի պատիվ Ալասանիայի | ԱՐՄԵՆՊՐԵՍ Հայկական լրատվական գործակալություն". armenpress.am. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
- ^ "ՆՇՎԵՑ ՀՀ ՊԱՇՏՊԱՆՈՒԹՅԱՆ ՆԱԽԱՐԱՐՈՒԹՅԱՆ 4-ՐԴ ԶՈՐԱՄԻԱՎՈՐՄԱՆ ԿԱԶՄԱՎՈՐՄԱՆ 16-ՐԴ ՏԱՐԵԴԱՐՁԸ". «ՎԱՐԴԱՁՈՐ» ԹԵՐԹ. 2013-08-05. Archived from the original on 2021-02-28. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
- ^ "Песни на русском языке звучали в исполнении военнослужащих армии обороны НКР | Наша среда". 15 December 2014.
- ^ "Мира Тебе, Арцах!". 6 September 2016.
- ^ "ՀՀ ՊՆ - ՀՀ ԶՈՒ ԳՇ ռազմանվագախմբային ծառայություն". www.mil.am (in Armenian). Retrieved 2021-03-16.
- ^ "National Assembly Artsakh, curriculum vitae". Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
- ^ "Armenian history".
- ^ "Ministry of Defense Armenia, curriculum vitae". Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
- ^ "Lyova Mnatsakanyan Minister of Defence of NKR In office since 15.06.2015". Archived from the original on 2021-09-12. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ^ "Karen Abrahamyan is new Artsakh Defense Minister".
- ^ "Jalal Harutyunyan appointed Artsakh's Defense Minister".
- ^ "Mikayel Arzumanyan appointed as Commander of Karabakh Army".
- ^ https://www.nkrmil.am/news/view/3279