The Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces will become the First Deputy Minister of Defense, and the General Staff will no longer deal with procurement, according to a bill approved by the government on Thursday, June 9.

Presenting the bill, Defense Minister Suren Papikyan stated that the armed forces should only protect the borders of the country, engage in combat training and do "everything that increases the combat capability of the army."

“Other tasks should be performed by other departments of the Ministry of Defense, mainly civilian ones. Other areas should be delegated as much as possible, as a result of which our partners in the Armed Forces will have more time to do their mission,” Papikyan said.

At present, the post of Chief of the General Staff remains vacant, with First Deputy Chief of Staff Kamo Kochunts serving as acting Chief of Staff.