Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) President Bako Sahakyan signed a decree on Monday, February 24 to appoint Major-General Jalal Haroutyunyan as the country's new Defense Minister and the commander of the Defense Army.

Sahakyan had earlier relieved Lieutenant-General Karen Abrahamyan from the same positions.

Haroutyunyan held the post of the First Deputy Commander - Chief of Staff of the Artsakh Defense Army.