Pashinyan Has an Alternative Director for the NSS: ‘Hraparak’

'Hraparak' newspaper reports that 'Nikol Pashinyan has an alternative director for the National Security Service (NSS) in the person of deputy director Andranik Simonyan, who he trusts unreservedly, unlike Armen Abazyan. According to our sources, Pashinyan has been giving the same instructions to Simonyan for a long time as he does to Abazyan, and is demanding reports from them, meeting with them separately, seemingly checking Abazyan's 'loyalty.'

There are rumors that Abazyan does not unconditionally carry out Pashinyan's political instructions, whereas Simonyan is implementing them. It is no secret that Abazyan is considered a figure of Russian influence, similar to previous heads of the system who mostly received their education in Russia, particularly at the FSB academy. Perhaps this circumstance explains why Abazyan continues to serve in his position, as Pashinyan may not be allowed to dismiss him or that Pashinyan does not trust the NSS director. Notably, Abazyan, who has held the position of NSS director for more than four years, has not been moved to the 'government dacha' near Pashinyan, even though the law allowed him and his family to live in that government complex, and a private house had even been renovated for them.

As for Andranik Simonyan, he has become Pashinyan’s executor and is tasked with carrying out the most underhanded instructions. For example, Simonyan was also the 'godfather' of the case against national hero and former first deputy chief of staff of the Armenian Armed Forces, Tigran Khachatryan, which led to his detention at the beginning of the year. The issue is that Pashinyan wanted to detain Khachatryan months ago, but the former head of the Investigative Committee, Arghisti Kyaramyan, refused to carry it out, stating that the grounds were weak and there were issues with the statute of limitations.

Simonyan was a regular judge in the Lori region and was transferred to Yerevan in 2021, first appointed as the deputy head of the Investigative Committee, and five days later as the deputy head of the NSS. It is said that Simonyan is also monitoring the 'movements' of the Chief Prosecutor Anna Vardapetyan and reporting to the Prime Minister.