Armen Gichyan Dismissed from Position for Failing to Welcome Alen Simonian

Recently, Acting President Alen Simonian stated in an interview with parliamentmonitoring.am that Armen Gichyan, advisor to President Armen Sarkissian and previously head of the President's Office Protocol Department, left at his request.

Politik.am has uncovered that Gichyan was dismissed because on the first day Simonian visited the Presidential Palace, Gichyan, in his capacity as an advisor, did not greet him. The next day, Simonian invited Gichyan to his office and pointed out this incident, asking him to submit a resignation letter, to which Gichyan responded by writing his resignation without any form of justification.

However, in a comment to parliamentmonitoring.am, Simonian stated: “Armen Gichyan left at my request. I do not know if he was ready to work or not, but I asked him to leave.”

When asked whether Gichyan was dismissed because he was not part of his team or if there was an issue of trust, Simonian said: “No. We discussed the reason, and it was not that at all. I believe it is not appropriate to disclose it. It's related to an event that occurred on the first day.”