Pashinyan Holds Consultation and Discusses Vanetsyan and Sasun Mikayelyan Issues

According to "Pastinfo," after returning from the United States, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a consultation during which the domestic political situation of Armenia was discussed among other issues. In particular, the activities of former National Security Service Director Arthur Vanetsyan and the MP from the "My Step" faction, Sasun Mikayelyan, were addressed, during which the Prime Minister expressed very sharp remarks directed at them.

The press secretary of the Prime Minister, Vladimir Karapetyan, did not deny the fact of the consultation. In response to our inquiry, he stated, "The Prime Minister has numerous consultations and discussions daily, and this falls within the scope of his work responsibilities, where current domestic and foreign policy issues, as well as various topics of public interest, are discussed." In response to our clarifying question about whether the activities of Arthur Vanetsyan and Sasun Mikayelyan were discussed, he said, "That's exactly what I'm saying; all issues are discussed, and all the questions of public interest are considered."

It is noteworthy that there has been ongoing speculation in the media regarding the tension in the relationship between Pashinyan and Sasun Mikayelyan, while the case of A. Vanetsyan is more apparent. In a statement regarding his resignation, Vanetsyan noted, "State-building has its own logic; the spontaneity of decisions, the hastiness of actions, and the inability to distinguish the primary from the secondary and the transient from the permanent are not the way to achieve goals. This has nothing in common with the dignity of a soldier; the insignia of a soldier and such developments are incompatible. My resignation should serve as a sobering step for 'Stop'. In all other scenarios, the duty to the homeland will prevail." In response to Vanetsyan's statement, Pashinyan remarked, "De jure serving as the head of the NSS, he makes a statement that essentially goes against his Supreme Commander; there is no greater disgrace to the honor of a soldier than that. Do you understand what that means? What soldier would do such a thing? That means throwing one's insignia in the trash. That is a disgrace to the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia. And I am very glad that the Armenian public has clearly assessed this phenomenon." Vanetsyan later responded that the Prime Minister spoke of matters he understands little about.

After the remote debate between the Prime Minister and the former NSS director, Sasun Mikayelyan stated that Arthur Vanetsyan is his friend and will remain so, while also noting the need for sobriety. "We all need to be sober because you know what this mobilization means; God forbid, if we are not united, imagine what the enemy will do; it is no coincidence that the enemy has been militarizing for so many years."