Former Acting Director of NSS: It Was Unclear What Purpose the Prime Minister Was Pursuing by Not Stopping the War

Armenia is experiencing a period when the country's security is under threat, and in these circumstances, remaining silent, not exchanging ideas, and not presenting facts is not acceptable. This was stated today, January 11, by the former acting director of the NSS, Mikael Hambardzumyan, at the beginning of the interview program on Channel 5.

Hambardzumyan clarified that he became the acting NSS director not on the 12th day of the war, but on the 4th day, on September 30, when NSS director Argishti Kyaramyan had gone to Artsakh with another deputy, and the responsibilities of the service leader were entrusted to him. He also added that he does not have a positive attitude towards frequent changes in service leadership: "The NSS director possesses highly confidential information and sources of information, and frequent changes of people in that position naturally have a negative effect. In terms of organizing work, when a person remains in the acting position for a long time, security risks arise."

The former acting director said that on September 30, NSS director Argishti Kyaramyan invited him and told him that he was tasked with leading the service. On October 8, the administration informed him that Kyaramyan was relieved of his duties and he was appointed as the new director, and he also noted that the head of military counterintelligence should also be relieved of his position.

"I found the dismissal of the head of the military counterintelligence service, especially in wartime conditions, incomprehensible, as he was coordinating all military counterintelligence work in a 24-hour regime. I tried to get clarification from the prime minister, as it concerns a major-general who should be summoned and told that he is being dismissed. I did not receive a satisfactory answer, but during the state of war, the commands of the leader are not questioned. In any case, I summoned the head of the department, informed him that he was being relieved, and as a soldier, he did not discuss it and was immediately placed at the disposal of the reserve, a new acting head was appointed. We worked with the same workload until October 28, on that day I contacted the prime minister, expressing my desire to resign, which was unexpected for him. I explained the reason, but the prime minister did not accept my resignation, and the matter remained pending.

At that moment, I could not insist on my desire; actions were taking place at every moment, and we were constantly working; it was unacceptable to allow paralysis in the service. On November 8, the prime minister announced that a decision had been made to appoint Armen Abazyan as the NSS director and thanked me for our joint work. The prime minister offered me to work in my previous position as the NSS deputy director, which I declined.

The reasons for my resignation, which I cannot disclose publicly, can be summarized in three. The first was that since the revolution and the formation of the new government, there is a lack of trust in the service, particularly regarding those individuals who have worked in the system for many years. When I was in direct contact with the prime minister in my role as director, this impression was confirmed. Therefore, I believe that the head of the service should be a representative of the ruling political team. The service is staffed by devoted individuals who are patriots working for the country but often face criticism from pro-government media or fake attacks. It is unclear whether or not your work is appreciated. A situation is created where a public office becomes unappealing.

The second reason was that I could not understand why the war was not being stopped. While we and the defense ministry were reporting daily on our losses, our challenges, and prospects, we saw that a ceasefire was not being achieved, but why the course of the war was not halted to begin negotiation processes. I could not find an answer to that, and that was the second reason. The third reason was that it was unclear what purpose the government was pursuing by not stopping the war. Where are we heading, what endpoint are we expecting to reach, eventually we will lose the northern regions too, and they may reach Stepanakert from there? It was from this combination that my decision matured,” said the former NSS head.

Mikael Hambardzumyan also mentioned that the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Onik Gasparyan, made a statement at a Security Council meeting about the need to urgently halt the war, which he did not attend.

"I personally reported to the prime minister on an hourly basis regarding the situation in the war, our losses, and the internal political situation, the prevailing sentiments. After assuming the position of acting director, I was also regularly informing in writing about what the situation was and what the prospects could be. Another Security Council meeting took place on October 18 or 19, during which the Chief of the General Staff provided a very detailed presentation of the prevailing situation, the prospects ahead, and that we were heading towards defeat, and it was vital to stop the war. If I recall correctly, the same opinion was shared by Tonoyan as well as opposition representatives Arman Abovyan and Edmon Marukyan. Nevertheless, no decision was made to stop the war. Afterward, from the words of Russian President Putin and information from other sources, it turned out that an offer had been made by the Russian leadership on October 19 regarding such issues. Specifically, there were point-based proposals on what needed to be done. This means that Lavrov's plan was essentially going to be implemented. I want to emphasize that the introduction of Russian peacekeeping forces into the territory of Artsakh would have been the main guarantor of security for Artsakh, and we would not have lost additional territories, referring to Hadrut and Shushi. Why were Russia's proposals not discussed? I cannot say. They were neither presented at Security Council meetings nor to the public. As of November 7, the day I resigned, I had not known about these proposals. When I learned about them, not from the prime minister but from my colleagues, naturally, the question arose: why are we delaying? That was the only real opportunity to incur fewer territorial and human losses. I had no answer, and that uncertainty was the source of the danger I saw. I cannot answer that question; only Nikol Pashinyan can respond. We have objectively represented the prevailing situation hour by hour. We received the image from the Ministry of Defense and our operational sources. I fully agree with the Chief of General Staff,” he noted.

Mikael Hambardzumyan stated that as of summer, reports regarding drones purchased by Azerbaijan from Turkey and elsewhere, including Turkish Bayraktars, were communicated to the prime minister from both open and closed sources.

According to the former NSS head, it is a misconception that we have been left alone; our neighboring countries Georgia and Iran, especially Russia, love and appreciate the Armenian people and Armenia, and this is not conditioned by either Pashinyan or past presidents. Those countries know well that Armenians are a creative people and do not pose a threat.

"What Russia has done for us should never be forgotten by Armenians, be they in the U.S., Australia, or Europe. I say this as someone with insider knowledge. If there were no assistance from Russia, we would have faced very dire consequences. Regarding Georgia and Iran, those countries have demonstrated a fair and balanced attitude. I must also mention France. There are things I cannot disclose, but I assure you that there has been a balanced and positive approach toward Armenia,” said M. Hambardzumyan.

Regarding keeping generals and other commanders who have passed through the previous war away from managing the war and participating in it, the former acting director of the NSS recounted that at the outset of military operations, there were arrests of individuals who allegedly spread panic, and hypotheses were raised that former commanders were involved in that. "It turned out the opposite was true; Samvel Karapetyan, Vitaly Balasanyan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, Arthur Aghabekyan, Arshavir Gharamyan were doing everything to contribute their potential. I especially want to emphasize Vitaly Balasanyan, whose work was very visible to us. He held considerable authority within military circles; he had a vision of what needed to be done. I personally reported to the prime minister and said that a task should be formulated and put in front of Balasanyan because I saw the necessity and desire to do everything possible. But events developed rapidly, and everything came to an end,” he stated.

Regarding a statement by the president of Artsakh that the NSS special division did not accompany him to the frontline, Mikael Hambardzumyan said that this division is a combat unit that has specific functional boundaries and is composed of experienced professionals. If an undefined task is set for them, they cannot fulfill it; according to him, inexperienced individuals can blindly undertake tasks, which is why we had so many casualties. If the state did not have organizational problems, this result would not have occurred, said the former NSS head.

"Did we have helmets and bulletproof vests at home that they were called upon to take with them and go to the front? I do not know such individuals in my circle. I saw problems regarding mobilization, problems concerning the irregular deployment of our volunteer groups to Artsakh, issues with their acceptance, placement, problems regarding the necessary quantities of helmets and bulletproof vests, the problems were vast, and we saw the consequences,” he said.

The former NSS director Arthur Vanetsyan presented himself with his group and stated that he was ready to carry out any task; the commander of the Defense Army sent them to Shushi, from where they returned when active combat operations were not taking place. The group of Tsarukyan was not in a position to make a breakthrough in preserving the Armenian identity or fighting for national interests; in Hambardzumyan's assessment, the role of the ARF is invaluable.

Mikael Hambardzumyan stated that to the credit of our political figures, they did not take any steps, actions, or statements that could threaten the country's security.

"In connection with Vazgen Manukyan, I have stated everything in my announcement. Why no criminal case was initiated or no arrests were made is because the prosecutorial body did not see a criminal composition in that case,” said the former NSS head.

Mikael Hambardzumyan considers it a serious issue the theme of mediated contacts between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan on conceding regions regarded as a security zone for Artsakh for 5 billion dollars. "This should become a subject of investigation. How real that is, I cannot say; I did not participate in the process myself. There is information that there has been prolonged contact between the Armenian prime minister and the Azerbaijani side during which the option of resolving the Artsakh issue for money was discussed. We do not know the details or results of those discussions, but we see today’s reality: defeat, significant territorial losses, serious problems concerning Armenia's borders. We must find the cause-and-effect relationship. Very detailed clarifications should be provided by both the prime minister and other officials who participated in the process. If convincing explanations are not provided, believe me, even in me, who said that the prime minister is not a traitor, doubts will arise. As far as I know, law enforcement agencies are investigating this issue; they cannot avoid doing so. This is a crucial issue, and it must be thoroughly and meticulously examined, how many times they met, recordings of conversations, and all of this must be done publicly,” he said, emphasizing that without facts, the prime minister cannot be regarded as a traitor.

The former head of the NSS's investigative department stated that the case of Manvel Grigoryan turned into a show. "When we went to Manvel Grigoryan's house, we were not going to find canned food. We were looking for illegal weapons and munitions based on the hypothesis of their illegal origin, for which we had data. When the canned foods and vehicles intended for the Army were discovered, they became targets of media exploitation. I have worked in the NSS since 1998 and do not have any sense of guilt in any case,” he said.

Mikael Hambardzumyan noted that he agreed with many of Pashinyan's ideas after the revolution, including clean elections, fighting against corruption, etc., but he finds it incomprehensible to cling to the position, which he considers unacceptable. "He should have announced after July 10 that the country is facing global issues and should have called for snap elections; he announced this later, after public pressure. This is unacceptable for me. Even today, I do not accept his approach that he will organize the snap elections. If national problems arise, challenges emerge, a person should not cling to his position," emphasized the acting NSS director.

Mikael Hambardzumyan expressed that the country is facing serious challenges, whereas there is an impression that security begins at the government building and ends at the protection of government summer residences. "I see no other way out than a change of power," he concluded.