After Letter to Prime Minister, NSS Employees Visit University

After the open letter from the rector of the "Anania Shiraz" University, Vagharshak Madoyan, addressed to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, employees of the National Security Service (NSS) entered the university campus yesterday and conducted inspections. There is a theory that the 'guests' who arrived following the letter were searching for corruption transactions among the university staff's documents and paperwork. This was reported by 168.am.

Rector Vagharshak Madoyan confirmed to the website the information about the NSS inspections carried out at the university yesterday, emphasizing, however, that he believes the explanations provided by the NSS employees and does not associate their arrival with the letter addressed to the prime minister.

"Yes, yesterday NSS employees came to us and were checking to find out whether foreign students were registered or not. This has absolutely nothing to do with the open letter I addressed to the Prime Minister or my dissatisfaction with the Minister. Let me tell you the reason: I was informed that in several universities, students had allegedly devised schemes to enroll just to obtain residency cards in Armenia. They checked with us and found all students present; no issues were identified. I must say, I welcome this diligence, and I feel more secure knowing that law enforcement is properly monitoring to ensure no manipulative actions are taken under different pretenses, and that is very good, we must also remain vigilant," the rector explained.

It is worth noting that the rector of "Anania Shiraz" University, Vagharshak Madoyan, recently addressed an open letter to the Prime Minister in response to the extreme situation faced by his institution. He stated that the Minister of Education and Science, Arayik Harutyunyan, has arbitrarily circumvented the Law on Education and Licensing and has unjustifiably refused to grant his university a license. Meanwhile, according to the rector, the university has made significant expenditures, secured its material and technical base, and created contracts and conditions, yet is faced with this situation due to the whims of the minister, leaving him unsure about who will bear the responsibility.

In his text, the rector also highlighted his initial faith in the Prime Minister's declared anti-corruption campaign and his subsequent loss of trust. He alludes to fearing that after all of this, he may have to take legal action against the minister.

"...Does not this theater's director understand that we, the powerless audience, unfortunately, see farther than he does? It is known that the state should not obstruct but rather assist the entrepreneur. Licensing bodies should be not restrictive but incentivizing. Now I am forced to appeal to the court, but various sources are warning me that if I insist too much, they could close the university altogether. Surely, autocracy in Armenia is not immortal?"

For further details, refer to the original source.