Pashinyan calls for regulation of non-Armenian citizens’ participation in politics
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has called for the establishment of mechanisms or the adoption of legislation that would limit the political activity of foreign nationals in Armenia.
According to Pashinyan, some foreign nationals express ‘the most radical views’, such as making calls for the overthrow of the constitutional order.
‘This is something unimaginable and unacceptable, and I, as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, cannot tolerate such a thing’, Pashinyan stated, adding that such phenomena would not be tolerated in any other country.
The prime minister apparently was referring to the case of the recently arrested Russian–Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, who has been charged with calling for the usurpation of power in Armenia. The tycoon was arrested during a raid of his home in Yerevan after he had made statements in defence of the Armenian Church amidst ongoing tensions between it and the government.
As Karaptyan was arrested, Pashinyan vowed to ‘swiftly’ nationalise the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA), which is run by Karapetyan’s Tashir Group, and also launched inspections into his popular Tashir Pizza chain, closing down some branches over violations.
Since his arrest, the Yerevan municipality has been taking down screens and posters with messages in support of Karapetyan.
Pashinyan called for limiting the political activity of foreign nationals as he introduced the newly appointed director of the National Security Service (NSS), Andranik Simonyan, to his staff on Monday.
Simonyan’s predecessor was fired on the same day as Karapetyan’s arrest. Pashinyan seemed to confirm that Armen Abazyan’s dismissal was connected to Karapetyan’s case, saying that ‘overall the work of the NSS director pertains to virtually everything, especially security-related, including hybrid security’.
However, he dismissed rumours that Abazyan was dismissed for refusing to carry out his orders.
Tackle the ‘agents of [foreign] influence’
During his introduction of Simonyan, Pashinyan touched on ‘hybrid threats’ faced by Armenia, saying it was necessary to pay ‘special attention’ to the activities of ‘agents of [foreign] influence’.
He said that sometimes, a foreign agent’s activities have ‘the most dangerous manifestations’, targeting the state and its sovereignty.
‘We should have the opportunity to express a specific attitude towards this form of activity,’ Pashinyan said.
Pashinyan praised the work of NSS, noting that it was ‘effectively confronting the numerous challenges’ which Armenia faces, adding that all the challenges which could ‘destabilise’ Armenia and ‘create security challenges have been successfully neutralised to this moment’.
He also highlighted the importance of what he said are the three main objectives of the security agency: counterintelligence, fighting terror, and maintaining constitutional order.
Pashinyan also assured that his government would continue to provide all necessary conditions for increasing the effectiveness of the NSS’s activities.
