Avet Poghosyan Responds to Rumors of His Dismissal

The Deputy Minister of High Technology Industry of the Republic of Armenia, Avet Poghosyan, denies press reports that he has been dismissed due to issues related to the Armenian satellite.

It is noted that the newspaper "Jhoghovurd" had reported that the "Hayasat-1" satellite was sent into space from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in the USA using SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket, and that the "Armsat-1" satellite has caused problems for the sector’s coordinator, Poghosyan.

According to various experts, the satellites sent into space have disrupted the operations of satellites from other countries, affecting many countries' satellite functions or parts of their programs. As a result, various foreign governments have sent letters to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan urging the return of the satellite(s) due to the unprofessional and uncalculated nature of the work, quality, and launch. The governments have insisted that the operations of their satellites have been disrupted specifically because of "Hayasat." This may be the reason why Avet Poghosyan was simply removed from the Ministry of High Technology Industry, although no other penalties have been imposed for the failure,” reported the newspaper.

“What has been written in the media does not correspond to reality at all. Of course, that is not the case; this is not solely our responsibility; everything is calculated. Most likely, it is about various types of radio communication disruptions, which is a work process; it happens, and there are complaints that are resolved through work procedures,” Avet Poghosyan stated.

“The Hayasat 1 satellite is a private initiative, and I am not aware of it, but assuming what it might be about, I suspect it relates to radio communication. Our communications administration, the “Republican Center for Telecommunications” is dealing with that,” he emphasized, adding that he is unaware if there are complaints from other countries.

When asked about the cause of his dismissal, Avet Poghosyan replied, “I have been released from my position in accordance with my resignation. The government has not expressed dissatisfaction with my work. I do not provide any further comments on this matter.”

He pointed out that he is not thinking about new employment at the moment and is taking a break. When asked if he has received any job offers, the former deputy minister responded, “We haven't discussed such matters; I am resting now.”

It is worth noting that Avet Poghosyan is the civil partner of MP Arusyak Julhakyan from the Civil Contract party. He was dismissed from his position on July 3.