After the War in Artsakh, Those Dismissed from Positions Are Being Restored

Artsakh's president Araik Harutyunyan has appointed Ashot Hakobjanian as the director of the national security service. Hakobjanian was dismissed from his position as the police chief after the war, when internal political pressure peaked.

In particular, Vitaly Balasanyan had demanded the removal of leaders of law enforcement agencies. There was public dissatisfaction with Hakobjanian, especially regarding his decision to send employees of the Armenian police to Shushi and compel them to go to the border without preparation, which also affected Artsakh police. He was also involved in issues related to the former commander of the internal troops, Levon Yeranosyan, during the war when he was tasked with leading the troops to the fortress of Shushi; the penitentiary institutions in Artsakh are under the jurisdiction of the police chief.

However, Hakobjanian is a close associate of the Artsakh president and was active in the presidential election campaign. It seems that just as Nikol Pashinyan is attempting to dust the public's eyes with his personnel changes to pretend that radical changes are happening, Araik Harutyunyan is doing the same.