On 26 August, the Armenian Defense Ministry called for the creation of a nationwide militia that would reinforce Armenia’s armed forces in times of war, reported the Armenian Radio Free Europe. 

A bill drafted by the ministry cites the need to expand Armenians’ involvement in national defence, which has until now mainly taken the form of compulsory military service performed by male citizens and call-ups of army reservists. Under the bill, the new auxiliary force would be formed on a territorial basis in Yerevan and towns and villages across the country. It would consist of units commanded by deputy heads of relevant local governments. It would be subordinate to the Armenian army command. 

One of the proposed amendments to several Armenian laws lists the tasks the militia would perform. In particular, the latter would have to “confront, neutralize and destroy” enemy special forces trying to strike key military and civilian facilities “deep inside the country’s territory.” The auxiliaries could also be deployed at “endangered sections” of Armenia’s borders or “line of contact with the adversary.” 

The bill was praised and endorsed by Sasun Mikaelyan, an influential lawmaker affiliated with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s My Step bloc and a veteran of the 1991-1994 war in Nagorno-Karabakh. He said the Armenian military needs a volunteer militia because the country is “surrounded by enemies.” He also spoke of an increased threat of Turkey’s direct military intervention in the Karabakh conflict on Azerbaijan’s side. “The militia must have at least 100,000 members. There could be a sudden enemy attack at any moment, and we must be prepared for it,” he said. 

The proposed bill, as well as the latest developments on the relation Armenia-Azerbaijan sparked various speculations that the situation in the South Caucasus is nearing an escalation point. Serdar Unsal, the deputy head of the Turkish-Azerbaijani Friendship Society, warned about the settlement of ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.  “Using the explosion as a pretext, the Lebanese Armenians are planning to settle in groups in Karabakh. This is done with the aim of bringing the number of Armenians living in Karabakh to 300-500 thousand. Armenians from Syria, Lebanon and other countries are already stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh and nearby regions,” he said. The Azerbaijani website Haqqin.az, which is associated with the country's security service, already expressed its fears that the settled Lebanese Armenian’s in Nagorno-Karabakh could serve as a source for Tonoyan’s proposed nationwide militia.