On 17 February, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan convened a government meeting prompted by a series of deaths in the country's Armed Forces, reported arka.am.  

The meeting was attended by Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan, Minister of Defense David Tonoyan, acting director of the National Security Service Eduard Martirosyan, Chief of the General Staff Arthak Davtyan, Prosecutor General Arthur Davtyan and Chairman of the Investigative Committee Hayk Grigoryan. The circumstances and causes of recent reported deaths in the Armed Forces were discussed in detail. Responsible persons reported on the progress of the investigations into the deaths. Pashinyan stated at the meeting that the priority was eradicating the so-called criminal subculture in the armed forces. He emphasized the need for consistent measures to increase the level of discipline. He also gave relevant instructions to responsible officials. 

Afterwards, Pashinyan wrote a Facebook post, unveiling some details of the meeting. “A number of important decisions have been made, including decisions regarding staff. In 2019, the historical minimum of deaths in the army has been recorded, and our task is to retain this dynamic. [It is] important is to ward off the atmosphere of nervousness over the army. There is no barrier between society and the army. We are a single body, single organism. And we will win,“ he wrote.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia also issued a public statement in that regard. “Out of the 13 deaths of servicemen (fixed-term and contractual servicemen, officers) recorded in the Armed Forces between January 1 and February 17, 2020, 4 were caused by accidents, 4 were linked to circumstances not connected to military service (disease, personal matters), and there are criminal cases instituted in regard to the remaining 5 (circumstances are being clarified),“ the statement read.

“The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia urges the media, public and political figures, experts and analysts to refrain from speculating [about] the deaths in the army and calls on the public to avoid reading misinformation and follow the official news in order to not be manipulated. It is clear that any incident in the army sparks great reactions among the public, especially when they lead to deaths. We assure that all cases are thoroughly and comprehensively examined, investigated by the relevant bodies, the conclusions are drawn, and everything is done to make sure the omissions are fixed,” the statement further emphasized.

The Chief of the General Staff of Armenia’s Armed Forces Artak Davtyan also made a public statement, following a meeting with two committees of the Armenian parliament. He stated that changes were to be expected in Armenia’s military staff and added that he is not going to be the one to resign. He stressed that he would not like to reveal the details of the expected changes in the sector.

Since the beginning of January, 13 Armenian soldiers have died in non-combat conditions, causing a wide public outcry.