Pashinyan's Allies Who Spoke of Threats to Statehood Upon Departing: 'Joghvorud'

Yesterday, Ara Aivazyan, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, made a notable statement during his farewell speech. He specifically mentioned, “I have accepted this decision with great difficulty, but when I took this position, there was one criterion for me. This ministry, which is born from independence, must unwaveringly defend our sovereignty, our independence, and our state and national interests. My decision to resign was precisely because of this, so that there would never be any doubt that this ministry could take any step or agree to any ideas or initiatives that are against our statehood, our national and state interests.”

This implies that, according to him, steps may currently be taken that are contrary to our national and state interests. It is evident that the statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs serves as a signal to law enforcement agencies, which are once again obliged to initiate a criminal case based on the characteristics of state treason.

Ara Aivazyan was the only individual who, while being a minister under Nikol Pashinyan's government, reported a crime against him. However, this is not the first instance in which individuals from the revolutionary team, which came to power through revolution and proclaimed itself a bastion of democracy, resign and point out dangers to the country, statehood, sovereignty, and threats to Artsakh.

Recall that in September 2019, former head of the NSS, Arthur Vanetsyan, called on Pashinyan to conduct himself soberly upon resigning, and months later he became one of Pashinyan's fiercest critics. “Let my resignation be a sobering act for ‘Stop!’ In all other variants, the debt to the homeland will prevail,” said Arthur Vanetsyan.

Former police chief Valery Osipyan also characterized his step as a call for sobriety. During the war, Mikayel Hambardzumyan, who headed the National Security Service, cited concerns about why the war did not end sooner as one of the reasons for his resignation.

The former head of the Armenian Armed Forces' General Staff, Onik Gasparyan, and other staff members demanded Nikol Pashinyan's resignation with their statements, saying, “The Prime Minister and government can no longer make adequate decisions for the Armenian people in this crisis and fateful situation. The ineffective management of the current authorities and serious mistakes in foreign policy have brought the country to the brink of destruction.”

The newspaper “Joghvorud” has approached the National Security Service of Armenia to clarify what processes will follow Ara Aivazyan's statements. We are awaiting a response to our inquiry.