Thursday, December 6 2018 17:33

ArmInfo."I was very concerned about the fact that the acting Prime Minister and the head of the National Security Service of Armenia were wiretapped, because if the  Pashinyan government cannot ensure the security of their telephone  conversations, how do they intend to ensure the security of the  country?" Eduard Sharmazanov, Spokesman of the Republican Party  wondered in an interview with ArmInfo correspondent.

"I deeply condemn those who listened to and made public this  telephone conversation and I think that they should be punished.  However, we should not forget that our country is in constant  conflict with countries such as Azerbaijan and Turkey, and in  connection with this we face a number of questions and challenges.   And the head of state discusses important issues by telephone,  without worrying about the security of his conversation, "  Sharmazanov said.

At the same time, he noted that the telephone conversation itself  refutes Pashinyan's earlier statements about the independence of the  judicial system. "Pashinyan already interfered in the work of the  legislative power, on October 2, occupying the parliament building  and the MPs therein. And now, as it became obvious from the  wiretapping, he also interferes in the work of the judicial system.  All Pashinyan's statements that the heads of the NSS and the SIS only  discussed working questions are at least irrelevant to reality, as  the heads of the National Security Service and the SIS are in no way  connected with the judiciary, like Pashinyan himself and not  competent to determine court verdicts, "the RPA press secretary  concluded.

In turn, acting Minister of Justice, MP, candidate from the "We"  bloc, Artak Zeynalyan, stated that one should not concentrate too  much on the content of this conversation. "If we constantly discuss  the essence of this conversation, then those who carried out the  wiretapping will achieve their goal. This wiretap is an encroachment  on the Armenian statehood. After all, those who listened to the  telephone conversation of the head of state, thereby struck a blow at  the international authority of the country",  Zeynalyan stressed. The  candidate also noted that he sees a connection between the statement  of Kocharyan's lawyers that they will file a lawsuit with the ECtHR  and this wiretap. "Kocharyan's lawyers can use this record to  substantiate their complaint," Zeynalyan said.  Varuzhan Avetisyan,  who heads the Sasna Tsrer party's list, also found it outrageous that  the Prime Minister's telephone conversation was tapped and put on the  network. "It is incomprehensible to the mind how it is possible so  simply and calmly not only to listen to the telephone conversation of  the head of Armenia, but also to put this record on the network. This  is very condemned and unthinkable. It will deal a huge blow to our  international image. As for the essence of the recording, I will  refrain from comments, as this will not be entirely correct,  "concluded Avetisyan.

The candidate from the ARF "Dashnaktsutyun" party Gegham Manukyan, as  well as all the others, stressed that the fact of wiretapping is a  very sad and condemned phenomenon. "I think that it is necessary to  find those who first listened and then put this phone conversation on  the social network. Enough of ambiguous statements by the head of the  National Security Service Arthur Vanetsyan that they know who did it,  but are looking for evidence, the culprit must suffer a well-deserved  punishment ",  Manukyan stressed. At the same time, he considered it  dangerous that the head of state, the leaders of such structures as  the National Security Service and the Special Investigation Service  discuss strategic issues by telephone. Nevertheless, Manukyan  stressed that the statement of Pashinyan that the conversation of the  heads of the National Security Service and the SIS fit into the  framework of their official powers does not correspond to reality.   "The activities of the courts in no way concern them, and they have  no right to determine the size of the pledge, the measure of  restraint, etc.," Manukyan concluded.  In turn, the candidate for MP  from the Prosperous Armenia Party, Naira Zohrabyan, said that the  security issue and the issue of the international authority of the  country are threatened. "I believe that all those who carried out  this tapping should be punished, whoever they are. After all, in  order to listen to the telephone conversation of the Prime Minister,  the heads of the National Security Service and the SIS, you need to  have expensive equipment. As for the essence of the conversation, the  Prime Minister himself explained everything, I have nothing to add,  "Zohrabyan concluded.

A Spokesman for the "My Step" bloc Vahan Kostanyan also said that he  had nothing to add to the words of the leader of the bloc Pashinyan.  Pashinyan himself after the publication of the wiretap assured that  the conversation was fully edited. Nevertheless, in his opinion, the  actions of the leaders of the National Security Service and the SIS  unambiguously fit into the framework of their official powers. "There  is no doubt that this (wiretap ed. note) is a manifestation of  counter-revolution, there is no doubt that counter- revolutionary  forces and corrupt officials will face a crushing defeat," said Nikol   Pashinyan.  It should be noted that on December 5, another   "wiretapping" appeared in the network, this time of a telephone  conversation between the head of the National Security Service of  Armenia Artur Vanetsyan and Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.  According to the "tapping", Vanetsyan calls Pashinyan and reports to  him that the head of the Special Investigation Service Sasun  Khachatryan wants to arrest the CSTO Secretary General Yuri  Khachaturov in the case of March 1, 2008. At the same time, he is  concerned that this may arise problems with "Russians." Then he  persuades the acting prime minister and the head of the SIS to use a  pledge against Khachaturov as a measure of restraint, stressing that  he "will tell the judges everything that is necessary." During the  conversation, the question of the arrest of the second President  Robert Kocharyan, as well as Khachaturov, accused of overthrowing the  constitutional order in the March 1, 2008 case is being discussed.