Manvel Keshishyan dismissed as Head of Strategic Communications Department of Armenian Prime Minister’s Office

By a decision of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Manvel Keshishyan has been dismissed from the position of Head of the Strategic Communications Department of the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia effective September 11.

This was reported by the e-gov.am platform.

Keshishyan also announced the news in a post on his Facebook page, noting that he had recently submitted his resignation and that September 11 was his last working day as Head of the Strategic Communications Department of the Prime Minister’s Office.

He stressed that he had joined the Prime Minister’s Office a year ago in September and took charge of the newly established Strategic Communications Department in November.

“For me, this was first and foremost about creating a new structure from scratch, building a department with great potential and establishing effective systems. Starting from scratch is not easy, but professionally it is also extremely interesting when you have the opportunity to shape approaches, processes and a working culture.

“During these months, at a difficult and important time for state communication, a great deal of work has been done. Dozens of studies and professional materials have been published, a number of processes aimed at developing the state communication system have been launched, important local and international partnerships have been established, and training and capacity-building programmes have been implemented, among other things,” Keshishyan wrote.

He added that, for him, the most important result was that a solid foundation had been created for the further development of state strategic communication in Armenia.

Keshishyan stressed that he was happy and proud to have had the opportunity to serve as the department’s first head and to contribute to its formation.

“It was also particularly important for me to have the opportunity to apply in public service the professional experience and knowledge I have gained over the years. It was a great honour and a great responsibility.

“I am grateful to all my colleagues in the Prime Minister’s Office and the public administration system. Special thanks to the spokespersons and communications officers of government agencies, our media colleagues, as well as our local and international partners for their cooperation and trust.

“My greatest thanks go to my team. Wonderful professionals and wonderful people. If I had the opportunity to assemble a team again today, I would choose the same people,” Keshishyan wrote.

According to him, strategic communication is today one of the cornerstone areas of public administration: it is about the state’s ability to understand its audience, explain its policies and decisions, build trust and withstand information threats.

“I am confident that this field will continue to develop in Armenia,” he said.