Mikael Minasyan Met with Me at the Request of Pashinyan

The newspaper "Zhoghovurd" reports that former head of the National Security Service, Arthur Vanetsyan, had long promised to make an important statement. Yesterday, he finally met with the heads of Armenian printed media to answer their questions.

Interestingly, although Vanetsyan announced his intention to engage in politics and establish a party, he did not reveal any specific names. "As for who will be in the party, I will refrain from naming names for now, as I have negotiated with many. We will talk about the ideology during the founding congress of the party. The direction will be center-right, and we will discuss more broadly later," Vanetsyan noted.

During the meeting with the heads of the printed media, numerous questions were raised, ranging from relations with former authorities to the reasons for his resignation and his relationship with Nikol Pashinyan. The editor-in-chief of the "Zhoghovurd" newspaper, Knar Manukyan, inquired about the hints in Vanetsyan's public words following his resignation regarding the dangers facing the country. "Can you specify what danger threatens us, from whom, and why are you silent about it?" However, no concrete answers were provided to this question.

"The dangers that I saw at that time are gradually emerging. As an example, we can mention the recent harsh evaluations by European institutions regarding Armenia, which pose significant problems for us from a security standpoint. This relates to our country’s international rating and, in general, if people anywhere in the world take and follow Armenia's news, they will see headlines and analyses that are astonishing and remarkable," he stated.

During the meeting, the former head of the NSS also addressed recent rumors surrounding his person, claiming he had attempted to carry out a state or hybrid coup. "Of course, I have had no such desire; on the contrary, any person who attempts to carry out a coup or tries to seize power by unconstitutional means should be condemned and face their punishment," he said.

Vanetsyan did not hide that he had had disagreements with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during his tenure, and had submitted his resignation multiple times, including after the release of the recorded phone conversation involving the Prosecutor General's Office chief, Sasun Khachatryan.

He specifically mentioned that during his time as NSS director, he met with former Armenian ambassador to the Vatican, Mikael Minasyan, at the knowledge and request of Nikol Pashinyan, but did not provide further details.

Another noteworthy revelation was made regarding former MP Mihran Poghosyan, who is currently seeking refuge in Russia. "We have sent an official letter to the Prosecutor General proposing to reopen the case based on newly emerged circumstances, but the case was returned to us. After that, Mihran Poghosyan suddenly left the country, and the question arises: why did he leave, who informed him that he was leaving, and why was the criminal case not reopened?" Vanetsyan added.

In addition, Vanetsyan did not hide that one of the reasons for his resignation was his disagreement with the political approach being taken against the President of the Constitutional Court, Hrayr Tovmasyan, and that’s why he mentioned in his speech: "Stop it!"