Media: Suren Papikyan appointed interim defense minister of Armenia

Former Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Suren Papikyan will temporarily head the Defense Ministry, Zhoghovurd daily said, citing its sources.

"Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent Suren Papikyan as a representative to the Defense Ministry to study the events. There is a split inside the ministry. Military officials blame each other for these or other cases. They nose upon each other to high-ranking officials," the newspaper reads.

Report informs that, according to Zhoghovurd, the prime minister intends to really "shake" the Defense Ministry: "As a result of this shaking, many people, including the Chief of General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Artak Davtyan, his deputies, and other generals, will be sacked."

According to Hraparak, Deputy Prime Minister Suren Papikyan will be replaced by Minister of Environment Romanos Petrosyan. He will oversee local governments informally:

"Gnel Sanosyan is currently in charge of this area. However, he also does not act in line with political instructions. For this reason, the territorial administration is the responsibility of Papikyan. However, his efforts were not successful. Syunik (Zangazur) did not show loyalty to Nikol Pashinyan and his team."

Notably, at the suggestion of the prime minister, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian dismissed Arshak Karapetyan from his post and appointed Deputy Prime Minister Suren Papikyan in his place.