Armenian Armed Forces Colonel: A dignified peace is the goal of all of us!

ArmInfo. A dignified peace  is the goal of all of us. Colonel Vahan Sargsyan, the commander of  the Nth military unit, said during a visit to the northeastern  borders of the republic organized by the RA MoD for the media.

Sargsyan said that the situation on the front line is relatively  stable, there are practically no shots fired, and there is also no  targeted fire.

When asked whether the war was over for the servicemen, the colonel  noted that a serviceman should always be ready for war. In this vein,  he noted that the Armenian side is always ready to stop any  provocation, and the morale of the military personnel is high.

"The morale of the servicemen is high. I would even say that both the  rank and file and the officers' morale became higher after the last  war, which is due to a number of factors.  For example, the fact that  everyone had relatives who died during the war. "I feel that the  personnel's approach to service has become more conscious," the  officer noted, explaining that it is felt that everyone, putting on a  military uniform, strives to carry out the assigned task to the  fullest, including those aimed at establishing a dignified peace.

During the visit, journalists got acquainted with the situation on  the front line, the fortification work being carried out, the living  conditions of servicemen in combat positions, the work carried out in  the rear, and the daily life of servicemen.

Sargsyan, with some degree of pride, showed the equipment of the  combat positions under his control, noting that his servicemen always  have the opportunity to take a hot shower, the bathroom is equipped  with all the necessary conditions for this, and the positions have  heating and lighting around the clock. According to him, electricity  is supplied to the positions, solar panels and generators are  installed, therefore, his personnel are always provided with  electricity. The positions themselves are equipped in such a way as  to maximally protect the lives of servicemen guarding the country's  borders.

"All firing points are protected, the lives of our soldiers are  safe," the colonel said, demonstrating the trenches. At the same  time, he emphasized that the troops are ready to carry out any tasks  assigned to them.

Speaking about the past year, he noted that there were no incidents  in the territory under his jurisdiction in general. "On our part, we  are doing everything to ensure the safety of our troops on a daily  basis. The relationship between the command and military personnel is  at a high level. Incidents related to hazing have been minimized,"  the senior officer noted.

A contract soldier, 32-year-old Sergeant Papyan from the city of  Berd, with whom I managed to talk at one of the combat positions,  noted that he has been defending state borders for 5 years. According  to him, he likes military affairs, and therefore he decided to join  the ranks of the Armenian Armed Forces. As the contract serviceman  said, before that he was involved in sports - wrestling. "I joined  the army because I like military affairs. It is a great honor for me  to be useful to my country," the serviceman noted, adding that he is  ready to complete any assigned tasks, and wishes prosperity and a  dignified peace to the country and the Armenian people in the coming  new year.

Next, the commander spoke about the certification of personnel. In  this vein, Sargsyan considered the program very successful. "The  program makes it possible to both increase the combat effectiveness  of the country's Armed Forces and the social status of the servicemen  . There are quite a lot of people willing to take part in the  program, especially among contract servicemen. Certification is quite  successful. Naturally, everything depends on the persons themselves-  their physical and mental abilities. Their readiness work on  themselves," the colonel said. When asked to clarify whether he  personally underwent certification, Sargsyan said that he had  submitted an application and would pass it in February according to  the schedule.

According to the officer, in general the results of the certification  are positive, there are not many "excellent" ones, in general  everyone passes "good" and "satisfactory". "Those who pass  satisfactorily are already applying for recertification to receive  higher grades," the military man added.

In turn, captain Arman Arakelyan, who has already passed the  certification, noted that there was nothing difficult for him in  going through this process.

"In general, the certification program included everything that is in  our curriculum. This applies to all subjects: shooting, physical  training, professional skills development. 

Certification as such is an opportunity to test your knowledge in  practice. "During the certification, I did not notice any bias," the  captain noted, expressing the belief that it will not be difficult  for those who serve in the ranks of the Armenian Armed Forces to pass  it.

When asked what grade he received, Arakelyan said that it was  'excellent'. "This allows you to assess your knowledge on the one  hand, improve your physical fitness and at the same time improve your  social position," the officer concluded.

During the visit, we also had the opportunity to talk with a  certified contract serviceman from Berd, warrant officer Mkhitar  Khachatryan, who dedicated 25 years of his life to serving his  homeland.

As the warrant officer said, he began studying the conditions of  certification as soon as this system began to be implemented in the  Armenian Armed Forces. "There was nothing new.  All that we encounter  in our daily service. Each serviceman must fulfill the tasks assigned  to him. Both the practical and theoretical parts of the certification  include everything that we encounter in our everyday life. Nothing  new. Each of us made every effort to pass the certification. I got a  'B'," he noted.

Speaking about his military service, he noted that he dedicated his  life to serving his homeland. "I joined the Armed Forces because I am  sure that no one can protect the borders of my homeland better than  myself. Moreover, I was born on the border territory.  Of course,  these are the borders of all of us, but I decided that no one would  protect my home better than me. I gave 20 years of service in the  Armed Forces. However, after the 44-day war, I decided that I still  have something to give to my homeland, and I extended my contract for  another 5 years. I also have a younger son who is doing military  service in the armed forces," he said, adding that his eldest son had  recently completed his military service and was discharged.

When asked whether his sons will follow his path, Khachatryan  admitted that they chose a different path. "Defending the homeland is  not only military service; there are other areas that allow our  country to develop. They chose a different path," Khachatryan  concluded.

Speaking about the wishes for the upcoming New Year 2024, each of the  servicemen wished our country a dignified peace, prosperity and  development.