Rapidly spreading in the Republic of the epidemic of the coronavirus paralyzed not only the national health care system, but also triggered deeper political processes.
June 8, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that have recovered from coronavirus, pretty surprising all record a period of my recovery – the Premier asymptomatic “ill” in just one week. Likely, the recipe is such a quick healing of the head of government is not in a strong immune system, and acute political instincts. The situation in Armenia today can be unstable and require active participation noted in the “manual mode”. So, in the country there are signs of consolidation of parliamentary and non-parliamentary opposition. Among the brightest representatives of the latter include the former head of the security services Arthur Venezian, who resigned last fall and turned since then, a vocal critic of the current government and personally the Prime Minister. Not ceased to make resonance accusations against family Pashinian and former RA Ambassador in Vatican city, the son of ex-President Serzh Sargsyan, Mikayel Minasyan.
In this difficult situation Pashinyan announced on 8 June about serious personnel shifts in power structures, at the same time changing the head of the General staff, the chief of police and head of National Security Service. The new appointees, apparently selected on the principle of personal loyalty: the head of the General staff was the countryman of the Prime Minister Onik Gasparyan, the police headed classmate and childhood friend Vahe Ghazaryan noted.
But the most interesting figure was, perhaps, the new head of SNB Argishti of Karaman. The head of the Armenian special services 29 years, he is married and is a graduate of the law faculty of Yerevan State University. In 2013-2016 worked in the police force, then for two years was a Prosecutor at the Yerevan Prosecutor’s office. His last place of work before the transition to the NSS was the State Revenue Committee (SRC) where he is in 2018-2019, he headed the investigative unit. In March of last year, Karaman received the appointment to the post of Deputy head of the SRC.
In may this year, began the second wave of career take-off of Karamana: during the day he was first appointed Deputy Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Armenia (and, according to rumors, this position was specially created for him), and then Deputy Director of the National Security Service. Finally, on 9 June 2020 Karaman officially took the position of Director of the NSS, which was the ultimate goal of the Prime Minister when constructing complex schemes with the appointment of young officials in circumvention of the requirements of the relevant legislative acts.
Raise questions of public��osti not only the professional qualities of the new head of the security services, but also some personal aspects of his life. So, at the time, media attention was attracted by his non-income wealth, the origin of which Karaman and could not most likely to justify. In particular, according to the newspaper www.7or.am when appointment to the post of acting head of State Revenue Committee of Karaman declared “savings” for the sum more than 100 thousand U.S. dollars. There was also a declared $ 6000 in bonds, 4 land, 2 private houses, a building, a garage, a car and jewelry. The availability of a round sum of Karaman explained gifts “living in Europe uncle” and “working in Russia relatives”.
the Mysterious “uncle”, is generously sponsoring his nephew in Yerevan is not the only mystery of the family of Argishti Karamana. The press claims that the father of the new head of the NSC is the head of Kotaishi diocese of Elbek Karaman. who according to religious canons should be elected from among celibate priests. Argishti and Elbek Caramany attest to being relatives, but did not specify the degree of relationship, only noting that they are not father and son. However, the data is their rebuttal and have not found documentary evidence to the passport system of Armenia. The absence of a patronymic in the order of appointment of Argishti Karamana Director of the NSS, further reinforce existing suspicions about its direct relationship with Albacom Karamana.
Experts have no doubt that Argishti of Karaman has made in the last couple of years career on a personal patronage of the head of the government candidate, first and foremost, “political”. As it happens in such cases, his appointment caused dissatisfaction and a series of resignations in the ranks of experienced career officers of the NSS. For them, the 29-year-old Karaman translated into the structure for political reasons from another system – a foreign element. Moreover, as described “….” a source on condition of anonymity, among the officers there are many those who are sympathetic to the former Director of the national security service, personnel security officer Arthur Veneziano. According to the interlocutor, in an attempt to strengthen control over the NSS, saving her from the potentially disloyal cadres and turning it into an obedient tool of pressure on political opponents, Pashinyan increasingly undermines the system of state security of Armenia.
Sam Arthur Venezian has called the latest assignment “a threat to national security” – according to him, the national security service must be apolitical, and when the structure will begin to serve the authorities, Armenia will arise serious problems. However, a serious problem he is experiencing today Nikol Pashinian and, as you know, the interests of the government and States do not always go your way. Whether Pashinyan to cope with growing internal��political challenges now largely depends on whether Karamanou to transform the NSS into a powerful battering RAM, which, in conjunction with other forces, will crush opponents of the “revolutionary” Prime Minister.
