Abrahamyan: The NSS Was Only Interested in Whom I Meant by Mentioning Former and Current Officials

The head of the 'Henaket' analytical center and former advisor to the President of Artsakh on security issues, Tigran Abrahamyan, made a Facebook post stating: 'After the military operations that unfolded in Artsakh, I publicly addressed the National Security Service with several inquiries. The first issue concerns the regions of former Qubadlu (Sanasar) and Zangelan (Kovsakan), which were under Armenian control as of November 9, and in relation to the villages of Khtsaberd and Hin Tagher in the Hadrut region, as well as the Dizapayt mountain, which, as it later became known from Nikol Pashinyan's interview with H1, were handed over to Azerbaijan following an oral understanding arising from the trilateral statement. I believe this is a matter within the jurisdiction of the National Security Service, and the NSS is obliged to respond in such cases (I am not only referring to public replies). In reality, Armenian territories have been handed over to Azerbaijan due to an oral agreement for unknown reasons, while our country's law enforcement system does not respond to such a disastrous event.

The second inquiry relates to the statement of the President of Artsakh that during the war, the NSS 'elite unit' refused to go to 'Yeghnikner' and left the country's president alone. Given that this statement significantly undermines the authority of the NSS and casts doubt on the functional capacities of the structure responsible for the security of the Republic of Armenia, I also see a need for a response from the NSS, which, by the way, did not occur. A dangerous statement was made, which has not been refuted or corrected to this day.

The third inquiry pertains to the dismissal of the former NSS director, Argishti Kyaramyan, during the war, as I believe it has given rise to various discussions and concerns within the public and needs clarification. It should be clarified also because representatives of this government continually emphasized that any dismissal should be explained, and the public should know the reasons for removal from office.

Now, why do I bring all this up? Well, the day before, I received a call from one of the investigators at the NSS’s investigative department, who mentioned that they had several questions regarding one of the cases being prepared in the NSS and respectfully requested to arrange a meeting at a convenient time for me in the next 1-2 days. Today, I visited the NSS with my lawyer, hoping fervently that they had summoned me regarding my public inquiries. It turns out that there is a case under investigation related to Argishti Kyaramyan, while I had previously made fleeting references to these issues during a press conference. In particular, I stated that Kyaramyan had been in Artsakh after his dismissal and had met with various former and current officials in different places, emphasizing that up to this moment, it remains unclear why he was dismissed during the peak of the war and deemed necessary for the authority to finally clarify this.

It appears that none of my inquiries directed to the law enforcement agencies interested Armenian and Artsakh's territorial integrity, the so-called elite unit's failure to obey orders, and other threats to our country, were of any concern to them; they were only interested in whom I was referring to by mentioning former or current officials or whether I had met Kyaramyan in Artsakh. Do you realize our country’s actual situation? The Prime Minister even casts doubt on the Armenian identity of Shushi; thousands of casualties, missing persons, prisoners of war, and military captives, in short, a national tragedy, but the NSS and other law enforcement bodies are engaged in completely different matters. I will not give an assessment; each of you can evaluate what they are involved in.'