I do not wish to share much from my conversation with the soldiers who sustained burns in the fire, because it was a personal conversation; let the preliminary investigation proceed. I assure you that all those responsible will bear criminal liability. The President of the National Assembly, Alen Simonyan, said this during a conversation with journalists.
In response to the question of whether persons holding political office, such as Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan, will bear responsibility, Simonyan said:
«The Minister of Defense cannot in any way be connected to all of this, because he has fully done his work within the scope of his duties. I consider those political bargains to be very hollow and misplaced. ..Mr. Papikyan is also carrying out the responsibility he took upon himself after the war, by agreeing to take the army in that condition and begin reforms. Reforms have been carried out, starting with personnel and ending with furnishings, which have been and are being changed. Since 2018, there has not been a single case where any purchase for the army was not made due to lack of funds,» said the NA President.
In response to the observation as to why, after the war, no appropriate construction work was carried out to house servicemen in modular barracks, Simonyan said:
«It was a construction crew, right next to which there is a modular cabin. The biggest problem with that cabin was that safety rules were not observed. The people who were responsible for safety will bear responsibility. I consider it misplaced to turn a misfortune into a subject of political speculation.»
