Former Presidents and Prime Ministers to Lose Lifetime State Security Protection: Grigoryan

The state security service is being separated from the National Security Service (NSS) and will become an independent body under the Prime Minister. This was announced today, November 24, during a government meeting by the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, Armen Grigoryan.

“This reform is part of the broader reforms in the field of security. One of the important points is that previously, a former president was granted lifetime state security protection, but now this service will be provided for an additional 7 years after leaving office, while for the Prime Minister, it will be 10 years,” he stated.

Prime Minister Pashinyan further added that, if necessary, the state protection of the country's top officials could be extended after they leave their positions.

Addressing the transition of the protection service under the Prime Minister's authority, the Prime Minister positively assessed this move, noting that it allows the NSS to focus on its core functions, of which counterintelligence is paramount.

“I wanted to express my satisfaction, but—while not entirely satisfied—I must say that the NSS has unprecedented successes in counterintelligence lately,” the head of the executive said. He added that the public is informed about the discoveries, and expressed sadness that such phenomena exist.