The Armenian Defense Ministry and the head of the Ministry are directly responsible for the mental and physical education of the soldiers, Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan said at today's conference to combat the destructive cults in the army.
According to Ohanyan, nowadays different kinds of subcultures and practices considerably threaten not only the Armenian society but also the armed forces. "It is necessary to have a clear idea of the process of dissemination of the destructive cults and their consequences so that the fight against them could be efficient and pin-point. The leadership of the Armed Forces is ready to listen to the views of various experts, public figures and politicians. We are determined to start cooperation", the minister said. In this context, he added that an action plan on patriotic education for 2014-2015 has already been worked out.
The minister thinks that the education process should be carried out in collaboration with representatives of the clergy, intelligentsia and other circles. The minister stressed the need to find out the real situation and challenges and to conduct an effective propaganda in compliance with the current legislation.
He stressed that when discussing the problem of sects one can come across naive ideas and approaches saying that only the religious theories banning weapons-bearing are dangerous. "But it is only the top of the iceberg. It is frightful to think that weapons can be trusted to Emos or representatives of other subcultures who are bent on self-destruction. It is also frightful to think that the Satanists who have taken part in various suspicious ceremonies can carry out a combat alert mission", he said.