Advisor Claims: 'Submit Your Application Properly or We Will Ensure You Are Prosecuted' on Behalf of Romanos Petrosyan

According to the newspaper '168 Hours', 'Romanos Petrosyan's advisor, Hovhannes Martirosyan, summoned me some time ago on behalf of the minister, saying, 'Submit your application properly, or we will do everything to have you prosecuted.' I asked for what reasons I should submit an application, and he replied that it was the minister's wish and that he was speaking on behalf of Petrosyan.' This was stated in an interview with 168.am by Vahe Mirzoyan, the deputy director of the Khusrov Forest State Reserve, who noted that he is being persecuted by the Ministry of Environment, at the hands of Romanos Petrosyan, trying to unjustly dismiss him from his job.

'The persecution and the campaign against me started after Romanos Petrosyan became minister. They did everything to find dirt on me but found nothing. I am a conscientious worker, and every staff member can attest to that; I have been working in the reserve for about six years. After the two positions of deputy director for science and conservation were cut, I was appointed as the deputy director in general. After Romanos Petrosyan arrived, the staff list was changed again, and another deputy director position was added. Now, for reasons that are incomprehensible to me, the minister is pursuing me. I have never been involved in politics, nor do I belong to any party; I assume this is the reason,' said Mirzoyan.

The deputy director also mentioned that throughout his work at the reserve, numerous audits have been carried out, and no legal violations have been reported in his case. According to him, the last audit was sent personally by Romanos Petrosyan.

'The former interim director of the reserve, Boris Baghdasaryan, who was appointed by Romanos Petrosyan, was pressured to remove me from the reserve. Petrosyan even came to the reserve himself and raised the issue of my dismissal again. The director was pressured every day. However, Baghdasaryan did not take that step until the end of his tenure because he had no basis for it,' detailed the deputy director of the reserve.

According to him, the new interim director of the reserve, Vahe Jilavyan, is also under the same pressure to remove him at all costs. Mirzoyan claims that since Petrosyan became minister, the reserve's statutes and staff lists have changed multiple times, resulting in several employees being dismissed, and their labor rights grossly violated, leaving them without recourse.

'These illegal actions continue. On February 9, a council meeting of the reserve took place. According to my reliable information, the agenda included again changing the staff list and dismissing certain employees. There is a possibility that one of those employees could be me,' said Mirzoyan.