YEREVAN, DECEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. The Criminal Code of Armenia doesn’t have a political vendetta article, National Security Service director Artur Vanetsyan told reporters, commenting on jailed former President Robert Kocharyan’s statements regarding the arrest process.

“The Criminal Code of Armenia clearly defines the articles, the charges against Kocharyan are presented, everything will be clear in court,” Vanetsyan said.

Speaking about the wiretapping of his phone conversation with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Vanetsyan said the leaked audio recording is edited.

“The parts that aren’t [advantageous] for the wiretappers have been edited. Look, when the NSS director is reporting to the Prime Minister, he doesn’t say where he has received the information from, who called, he doesn’t specify, he only raises concrete issues. The Prime Minister said – ensure the independence of the court, so that no one pressures the court. My mobile phone has been given to an independent probing body which has decoded it. All applications, even my personal texts, have been restored through a special software. This is all included in the criminal case’s materials. Time will put everything in its place,” he said.

He said he hasn’t done anything to be ashamed of as NSS director, or anything that his family or the society can be ashamed of.

To a reporter’s observation that the wiretapping of the PM and the NSS director is a national security matter, he said: “Don’t assess it the way that if an official has been wiretapped then there’s a national security threat. In today’s world of technical development, even Merkel has been wiretapped, the Chinese leader has been wiretapped. A national security threat will constitute a turbulent situation at the border.”

He also spoke about the summoning of HHK candidate for parliament Davit Shahnazaryan.

“He has been invited to the NSS to give explanations regarding his statements. Davit Shahnazaryan didn’t show up, without any substantiating reason. This shows what goal his statement pursued. He isn’t coming to the NSS in order to give an official look to his statement, this means that there are no grounds in what he said. Everyone will assess to what extent Davit Shahnazaryan’s statement meets the reality, what value it has. I would like to take this opportunity to call on everyone to come and file reports in the event of having any information about conspiracies threatening Artsakh, Armenia, or about surrendering any part,” he said.

Vanetsyan said it is the public that is appreciating the NSS work, the majority of whom trusts this structure.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan