I Fully Support Onik Gasparyan's Decision, Share His Concerns: Former NSS Chief

The newspaper "Hraparak" reports: "Former acting director of the NSS Mikael Hambardzumyan has also joined the statement made by the Chief of the General Staff and over 40 other officers, supporting the demands for Prime Minister Pashinyan's resignation. However, he mentioned that he does not attend rallies, as he is fighting in a different way. Although we were informed that he was seen two days ago in Baghramyan wearing a mask and many did not recognize him.

We asked Mr. Hambardzumyan several questions on this and other topics:

- Mr. Hambardzumyan, what is your opinion on the statement made by the General Staff?

- I think you know my position. I fully support Onik Gasparyan's decision, share his concerns, and believe that the events occurring in our country need to be resolved quickly, otherwise we will face serious problems.

- How do you evaluate the actions of the NSS when they are busy capturing "fake" accounts?

- I believe in the rationality of my colleagues, that’s all I will say. The rest they will understand.

- Do you have faith, or do you also rely on them?

- I believe and rely on them.

- Are these actions reasonable?

- I am speaking in general context; don’t view it separately. I trust my colleagues, believe in their rationality, and I am sure they are devoted children of their homeland and will correctly assess the situation.

- Mr. Hambardzumyan, do you think the NSS is the institution that should be dealing with capturing "fakes"?

- Don’t just look at the fact that they are capturing "fakes". There are hundreds, thousands of "fakes" out there. The problem is not that. The issue is that if information is published through a "fake" that contains attributes of a crime, meaning it has elements of a criminal offense or if classified state information is published, then the NSS and other law enforcement bodies are obliged to deal with it. Please understand this and do not connect it to Mr. Sagatelyan (referring to Ara Sagatelyan, who was arrested by the NSS).

- It is simply a ridiculous situation that, to discover this "fake," they have arrested several people, yet the "fake" continues to post and mock the NSS.

- No, we are not discussing today whether there are proofs or not. I am giving you a general principled approach. If a "fake" contains information, what is a "fake"? A "fake" is a tool for disseminating information, and why are "fakes" used? To keep the disseminators hidden from the public eye, from the gaze of law enforcement, so that it is not possible to understand who the information disseminator is. But if such information is published that again I emphasize has elements of a criminal offense or contains state secrets, then law enforcement agencies are obliged to deal with it. They dealt with it yesterday, they will deal with it today, they will deal with it tomorrow.

- Doesn’t all of this undermine the image of such a serious institution as the NSS?

- You should also know that the NSS has many subdivisions. If any subdivision of the NSS is engaged in this, it does not mean that they are not carrying out work in other areas or that they should not. Each has its own function.

- Very well, let’s return to the GSH statement. You now see that Nikol Pashinyan does not wish to resign, he has organized a large rally...

- Regardless of how large of a rally he organizes, even if a hundred thousand people attend that rally, nothing will change in our country. There’s a global problem in our country, and the solution to that problem lies exclusively in early elections.

- And with his departure or his organization of early elections?

- Of course, after his resignation, otherwise the early elections would become meaningless. I would agree to the early elections happening without his resignation if it was announced back in November and Nikol Pashinyan would go along with it out of his own initiative, not as a result of public struggle.

- By the way, do you participate in the rallies of the Homeland Salvation Movement?

- No.

- Why?

- You ask an interesting question. Because I am not that active politically; you know how I express my position.”

Details in today’s issue of the newspaper.