Doubtful Claims by Seyran Ohanyan Taken Literally from Thin Air: Prosecutor's Office

The Prosecutor's Office of Armenia responds to former Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan. In an official statement, it is written: Former Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan, exhibiting excessive emotion atypical of a political figure and sadly distorting the facts, made a public statement addressed to the Prosecutor General of Armenia today, the content of which raises sincere doubts.

Firstly, we are puzzled by Mr. Ohanyan's statement, as it implies that during the trilateral meeting in Moscow, the Prosecutor General of Armenia signed some documents with the Chief Prosecutor of Azerbaijan. Perhaps the apparent lie is a result of a desire to turn that statement into truth, as Mr. Ohanyan has failed to disclose the content or at least the direction of the non-existent 'signed document.' In reality, as published, a document was signed between the Prosecutor's Offices of Russia and Armenia, exclusively concerning cooperation between the two agencies.

We are also confused to learn that the Prosecutor General of Armenia discussed the issue of illegal surveillance against Armenian public officials by Azerbaijani authorities through CIS channels with the Azerbaijani Prosecutor. In fact, as we have officially informed, such a matter was raised during a meeting with the Prosecutor General of Russia.

In this regard, Mr. Ohanyan's claims, which appear to be taken literally from thin air, are equally perplexing. He stated, 'You did not say a word; you did not express your position regarding the illegalities perpetrated by the criminal military-political authority and legal system of Azerbaijan, and why not, also against me.' If the former minister were guided by presenting the reality rather than portraying the desirable as reality, then at least before making such claims, he would have reviewed the official publications of the Prosecutor's Office during the entire war and after its conclusion, which clearly contain unequivocal assessments of the aggression launched by Azerbaijan's military-political leadership against Artsakh and Armenia, with the support of Turkey, the war crimes committed by the Azerbaijani military during the conflict, and the efforts to draw the attention of international partners to all of this.

Moreover, we have continually made effective efforts to neutralize the consequences of such illegal actions by Azerbaijan with the support of our Russian partners, which has been publicized multiple times. If it is difficult to find these on the official website of the Prosecutor's Office, we would be happy to send the entire package of messages to the author of the statement.

However, the most painful aspect is the observation that a person who participated in meetings with his Azerbaijani counterpart in various formats during his tenure as Minister of Defense, witnessed the exchange of prisoners of war through bilateral or multilateral negotiations aimed at resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh issue for decades, now finds communication with the Azerbaijani side in a trilateral format unacceptable regarding such delicate and extremely important issues. If the former minister believes that there is no need for such communication, then it is unclear why he remained silent about this before and what alternative he proposes.

In general, regardless of what opportunistic position or change in position the esteemed Mr. Ohanyan may hold, the Prosecutor's Office will continue its efforts in these directions within the framework of its powers and will do everything possible to resolve this issue.

As for the highly subjective, emotional comments regarding his criminal prosecution made in the statement, we can only express understanding. It is simply regrettable that there is a prevailing perception that the performance of one's official duties, as well as the best contribution, implies an indulgence. This is an extremely dangerous trend, the consequences of which we unfortunately bear.