Video: Nikol Pashinyan's Congratulations to PPU Employees

Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended a ceremonial meeting dedicated to the establishment of the State Protection Service of the National Security Service. Pashinyan congratulated the representatives of the State Protection Service on the occasion of the holiday and noted that the PPU is one of the important institutions in our country.

"In the case of Armenia, this is especially emphasized because, unfortunately, our country has witnessed events such as October 27, 1999. Moreover, the importance of the State Protection Service was highlighted in recent months. I want to express my gratitude for the work done by the State Protection Service during this period and especially in recent months. Ensuring the security of the state and state institutions is one of our most important tasks, because our reality and perception are such that only the Republic of Armenia, only statehood can ensure the development, security, and sustainability of the Armenian people," said Nikol Pashinyan.

According to the Acting Prime Minister, during this period, we have seen what issues and gaps exist in the work of the State Protection Service and where and how these issues should be addressed. "One thing is clear: the further institutional development of the State Protection Service is one of our most important tasks that we must solve in the next five years. At this moment, I am convinced of one very important statement: today, the leadership of the State Protection Service and its subdivisions is competent and capable of performing the tasks set before them. And together we must solve the task before us: to ensure the institutional development of the State Protection Service. It will continue to be one of the crucial pillars of ensuring our country's security," Pashinyan stated.

The Acting Prime Minister emphasized that he, the Director of the NSS Armen Abazyan, and the political leadership of the country highly value the PPU service. "Unfortunately, we have had undesirable manifestations in the activities of the State Protection Service. But I want to emphasize again that one of the key reasons was that most of the personnel of the State Protection Service were at the defense positions of the Homeland's borders as of November. And this is a very important characteristic because it must also be emphasized to show that during those difficult days, during the days of war, the priority of the political leadership of the Republic was not to ensure its own or building security, but to ensure the territorial integrity of the Homeland. And this approach was the reason why on November 9, not only the State Protection Service but practically most of our law enforcement system was at the border, on the front line. However, nonetheless, I am very happy and proud to record that together we have been able to restore stability in the Republic of Armenia, ensure our country's internal security, and focus on the issues of ensuring our country's external security. And in this direction, we certainly need to make our work more active and efficient," Pashinyan added.

The Acting Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to those present for their service and wished them success. "I hope that our challenges will not only not intensify but will decrease over time. But in any case, we, and first of all, the State Protection Service, the National Security Service, must be ready to manage and prevent any challenges, and this emphasizes more the importance of this than the subsequent fight against the consequences of those challenges. I congratulate us all and wish for an effective, safe, and secure service," Nikol Pashinyan noted.

On the occasion of the holiday, the Director of the NSS Armen Abazyan and the Head of the State Protection Service Sargsyan Hovhannisyan also congratulated the representatives of the State Protection Service. A number of employees of the NSS State Protection Service were awarded by Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan with the Combat Service Medal, the Prime Minister's Commemorative Medal, and were rewarded with a letter of gratitude from the Prime Minister for their dedication in fulfilling their official duties.