False Statements by Commander of Armenian-Russian Joint Group of Forces

On May 6, Commander of Joint Group of Forces of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation, Major General Andranik Makaryan made a number of false statements during the press conference held in “Sputnik Armenia” agency.

In particular, according to Manukyan, the Armenian-Russian Joint Group of Forces acts “exclusively upon the order of Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia”.

Moreover, in response to the question by a journalist from “Azatutyun” radio station whether Russian President Vladimir Putin can order the group of forces to refrain from participating in hostilities in case of war, the commander responded, “He cannot because we are already ready to take actions based on respective decisions by the presidents of the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation… without him saying anything”.

However, this issue is regulated by the Rules of Procedure annexed to the Agreement on Joint Group of Forces of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia and Russian Federation signed on November 30, 2016. In particular, Section 3 of the Rules of Procedure (“Management of Joint Group of Forces”) clearly stipulates that during peacetime, the commander of the joint group of forces shall obey the orders of the Chief of General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, and during wartime (or in case of its real threat), he shall obey either the Chief of General Staff of the RA Armed Forces or the Commander of the Southern Military District of Russia, depending on the situation.

The same section also stipulates that the joint group of forces is guided by the orders from the supreme commanders, defense ministers and chiefs of general staff of the two countries.

Moreover, Section 4 of the Rules of Procedure clearly stipulates that decision on the use of Joint Group of Forces shall be made jointly by the supreme commanders of Armenia and Russia. In other words, if any of the two leaders of the two countries is against the use of the group of forces, they will not be used regardless of procedures adopted in advance.

In other words, Commander of Joint Group of Forces of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation, Major General Andranik Makaryan has lied when he has claimed that he solely obeys the orders of the Supreme Commander of the Republic of Armenia, and that the President of the Russian Federation cannot order the group of forces to refrain from participating in hostilities in case of war.