Armenian Prime Minister introduces new Police Chief, National Security Service director to staffs

YEREVAN, MAY 11, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says he has introduced the new Police Chief and National Security Service director to the staffs of the police HQ and the NSS.

Earlier on May 10 President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian appointed Valery Osipyan as Police Chief of Armenia and Arthur Vanetsyan as director of the National Security Service. The appointments were made based on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.

“I am aware that Valery Osipyan’s appointment as Police Chief has caused certain questions in social networks”, Pashinyan said on Facebook, adding he will address the matter soon.

At this moment Nikol Pashinyan is in the Government Seat, chairing his first Cabinet meeting after being elected Prime Minister.

Valery Osipyan was serving as Deputy Chief of the Yerevan Police Department since 2012.

Osipyan is widely known in the Armenian society due to his many years of on-duty public appearances in the streets of Yerevan during demonstrations, protests, rallies and other types of events. He was seen negotiating with Pashinyan during the latests demonstrations in Yerevan prior to the elections. Back in 2016 when a police station was attacked by heavily armed gunman in Yerevan, Osipyan was personally dispatched to the scene and subsequently taken hostage. He was released few days later.

Arthur Vanetsyan is serving in the National Security Service for more than 15 years and held the position of deputy chief of Yerevan City Department of the NSS at the time of the appointment.

Nikol Pashinyan was elected Prime Minister by the Armenian parliament on May 8 in the second round of voting.

59 MPs voted in favor, 42 voted against the candidacy of Nikol Pashinyan. He needed at least 53 votes to be named Prime Minister.

As required by the Constitution, a new government must be formed within 15 days after electing a Prime Minister.

The new Prime Minister must nominate candidates for deputy Prime Ministers and ministers within five days after the election to the President.

After the formation of the Cabinet, the Prime Minister must submit his government’s action plan for parliamentary debates within 20 days.

The parliament has seven days to debate the action plan. In the event of rejection of the action plan, the parliament is dissolved by virtue of law.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator -Stepan Kocharyan