168 Hours: What Information Does Osipyan Possess? It Will Soon Be Clear Who Is Behind His Resignation

According to the 168 Hours newspaper, Valery Osipyan resigned from his position as Chief of Police of Armenia yesterday and was appointed as the Chief Adviser to the Prime Minister just hours later. Appointing someone to another position after resigning from the post of police chief for unclear and unelaborated reasons is at least puzzling. If the police chief was performing his duties so well and had no issues with the Prime Minister, then why didn’t the Prime Minister do everything possible to keep him in his position? And if that’s not the case, what is the reason for Valery Osipyan being appointed as the Chief Adviser to the Prime Minister?

The logical answer may be one: the Prime Minister wants to keep Valery Osipyan closer to him. Why? What information does the former police chief possess that Nikol Pashinyan does not want to keep him at a distance? Here, it may be pertinent to recall the discussions that circulated during Osipyan’s unexpected appointment as police chief, which largely revolved around the idea that Nikol Pashinyan and Valery Osipyan had previously reached agreements regarding the future.

It is also worth remembering an incident during one of the rallies during the regime change when Nikol Pashinyan was covertly passing some document to Osipyan. By the way, an explanation for that video has yet to be provided.

In the case of Vanyetsyan, issues arose with the “Soros” wing of the government, which had launched a sharp fight and attacks against him, whereas externally, Vanyetsyan enjoyed the trust of the Russian side, frequently discussing matters with them bypassing both Pashinyan and the Secretary of the National Security Council, Armen Grigoryan.

For Prime Minister Pashinyan, it might be difficult to silence two former security officials who possess substantial information about the new government and its representatives. He preferred to keep closer to him the one who is, in essence, more controllable.

It is conceivable that Osipyan may have demanded a status from Nikol Pashinyan to avoid speaking out, which would certainly also benefit him given the potential retaliatory actions stemming from Osipyan's initiatives against the criminal world under the direct orders of Nikol Pashinyan. For this stage at least, the position of Chief Adviser provides him with some protection from the criminal world’s retaliatory actions.

It remains to be understood why Valery Osipyan resigned from his position. Or perhaps it was not a resignation at all, but a disguised removal, in fulfillment of the demands of the “Sasna Tsrer” faction, who have repeatedly called for the resignation of the police chief.

When considering all of this in the context of the recent legislative changes in the National Assembly and the statement issued by the “Sasna Tsrer” yesterday, the picture becomes clearer. Yesterday, “Sasna Tsrer” demanded that “leaders of the NSS and Police should be appointed from individuals not affiliated with these structures, with no negative trace in public memory and who can inspire confidence in preserving state sovereignty.”

It is possible that Zhivair Safilyan and Garen Chughasyan also presented this demand during their meeting with Nikol Pashinyan, which they are implementing step by step.

Let us remind you that the legislative initiative from the “Bright Armenia” faction in the National Assembly is precisely about this, and if the law that was unanimously accepted in the first reading is fully adopted, then truly random individuals with no connection to the system may be appointed to those positions, like those currently occupying high official roles or serving as lawmakers.

We shall see who will be appointed as the Chief of Police, and it will soon become clear who stands behind Valery Osipyan's resignation.