With Legislative Changes, Deputy Directors of the NSS Have Been Dismissed and Reappointed

The Deputy Directors of the National Security Service (NSS), Samvel Hayrapetyan, Tigran Harutyunyan, Andranik Simonian, and Aram Hakobyan, have been dismissed from their positions by President Vahagn Khachaturyan’s decree and subsequently reappointed by the Prime Minister's decisions.

Earlier, it was reported that Armen Abazyan had been relieved of his duties as NSS Director by a presidential decree and was reappointed by a decision of the Prime Minister.

It is noted that during the extraordinary session of the National Assembly on December 22, 2023, parliament made amendments to several laws and entrusted the Prime Minister with the authority to appoint the Director and Deputy Directors of the National Security Service.

The justification mentioned that based on the law on state governance bodies, the NSS is an entity under the Prime Minister, while its Director and Deputy Directors were previously appointed and dismissed by the President. With the same amendment, these officials are no longer considered military personnel but hold public positions.