Month: November 2025

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#SouthCaucasus
Is Everyone in  #Armenia Being  #Wiretapped? Pashinyan’s Comment at the Anti-Corruption Committee  news.am/eng/news/911386.html…
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the Anti-Corruption Committee and attended an event dedicated to the Committee Employee’s Day and the 4th anniversary of the institution’s establishment.

The Prime Minister congratulated the Committee’s chairman, Artur Nahapetyan, as well as its officers and staff on the occasion, noting that the Committee is one of the institutions whose creation is directly linked to the 2018 peaceful, non-violent Velvet Revolution in Armenia. According to Pashinyan, the fight against corruption is one of the political team’s main “brands.”

“But within this anti-corruption struggle, new questions have arisen — questions we did not have answers to initially, and, in fact, we were not even aware of their existence in the beginning. In 2018, it seemed that in order to wage an effective fight against corruption, all that was needed was political will, and many problems would be solved through that. That is, of course, true, because without political will, no issue can be solved at all. Political will means how much the government, the political leadership, truly wants the anti-corruption struggle to take place in practice,” said the Prime Minister, adding that they later came to the conclusion that this political will should be embodied in a specific institution — hence the creation of the Anti-Corruption Committee.

Pashinyan emphasized that an important factor is credibility — when political authorities declare their fight against corruption, it is not something new; every government claims the same thing.

“What matters is how the message should work so that everyone understands this is serious — not a joke, not humor,” he said, stressing that if the level of corruption in Armenia has been as high as people often say, that means many individuals have been involved in it.

The Prime Minister then turned to the issue of relationships within the judicial, legal, and state systems.

“Everyone has classmates, friends, relatives, army buddies, neighbors, and so on. The investigative body might show a bit of leniency, the prosecutorial body a bit more, the courts at all three levels — first instance, appellate, cassation — might each be a bit ‘understanding.’ Add to that a bit of influence from those in power or with connections — and any case risks never reaching its conclusion. If you analyze it, you’ll see: reports, reports, reports — endless reports. What happens in the end? You realize there is no end,” Pashinyan said, adding that in such an environment, it is impossible to effectively combat corruption.

He also referred to the link between the region’s geopolitical situation and the work of law enforcement agencies, including anti-corruption efforts. Pashinyan noted that when the situation is unstable — with tensions and escalations — regardless of one’s job, “you are still a citizen of the country,” and that includes investigators, prosecutors, and judges, who are unable to fully concentrate on their work.

“This is a factor I have personally felt. And the reason I mention it is that now, when I observe the system, I see that law enforcement — including anti-corruption efforts — seems more active. Of course, this is not the only factor, but in my view, the peace now established in our region gives investigative bodies more opportunity to focus on their work,” said the Prime Minister.

Speaking about personnel policy, Pashinyan said that one of the important factors in appointing Artur Nahapetyan as the head of the Committee was his experience as a judge.

“There are constant discussions that investigators and judges view situations differently. I told Mr. Nahapetyan that it’s very important for cases coming out of the Committee to also be viewed through the eyes of a judge, so that we can close that discussion space — that investigators perceive things one way and judges another. I’m confident that this factor will also significantly contribute to the Committee’s efficiency,” said Pashinyan.

He added that for the law enforcement system, it has not been easy to operate under the current conditions of social media and freedom of speech, given that targeted attacks are launched through social networks against specific investigators and investigative groups — even with the publication of their family members’ photos.

“These, too, are factors that have influenced the process. I say have influenced because I believe that when such phenomena are new, systems take time to adapt to them — and to find ways to counter them. My impression is that our law enforcement bodies, including the Anti-Corruption Committee, have now better adapted to this environment and are more capable of protecting themselves,” Pashinyan noted.

Finally, Pashinyan addressed the question of whether everyone in Armenia is being wiretapped.

“There are major cases where wiretaps are published and so on. The law on operational intelligence activities in Armenia is not new. It clearly defines under what circumstances, when, and how such operational measures can be conducted — and all democratic countries have similar systems. The only ‘novelty’ is that, since the fight against crime and corruption is so vital and principled for us, the government is indeed investing to ensure that Armenia’s operational bodies have the necessary technical capacities,” said the Prime Minister.

He added that crime itself is becoming more technological, and if law enforcement does not adopt technological approaches as well, the entire fight against crime will fail.

According to Pashinyan, investigative bodies today are no longer so dependent on personal testimonies:

“Investigators now proceed from the assumption that even if there are attempts to pressure witnesses to withdraw testimony, there must still be a solid factual base so that cases can reach their logical conclusion.”

The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction that there is now more activity in criminal proceedings within the Anti-Corruption Committee, and that all the conditions exist for the anti-corruption fight to become more effective.

“The political will of the government to fight corruption has not diminished and will not diminish. This is our top priority. We are making significant investments in corruption prevention. Today, our Anti-Corruption Committee has sufficient technical capacity, and I hope this will have a preventive effect — people will think seven or eight times before taking such a step. That is our goal: to prevent corruption through our policies,” concluded Pashinyan.

— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Nov 2, 2025

“I grew up on free cheese and powdered milk,” the SNL star shared.

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#SouthCaucasus
Is Everyone in  #Armenia Being  #Wiretapped? Pashinyan’s Comment at the Anti-Corruption Committee  news.am/eng/news/911386.html….

— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Nov 2, 2025

#SouthCaucasus
Touting Himself as ‘Defender’ of  #Democracy,  #Pashinyan Says People of Armenia are Guided by ‘Stalinist’ Worldview –  Asbarez.com  asbarez.com/touting-himself-….
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Tuesday said he and his government were sole “defenders” of democracy in Armenia, while the rest of Armenian society was guided by a Stalinist worldview.

Pashinyan made the statement at a panel for democracy in Yerevan, while attempting to tout his plans to amend Armenia’s Constitution, a demand being set by President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan as a precondition for signing a peace agreement with Armenia.

“Who is the leader and defender of democracy and the bearer of democratic values in Armenia?” Pashinyan asked. “The current government [of Armenia] is the defender of these values,” he emphasized.

Then he went of to claim that the entire Armenian society is living by a “patriotism model advanced by Stalin, [Nikita] Khrushchev and [Leonid] Brezhnev, and the Stalinist worldview,” referring to Soviet leaders who succeeded the notorious Josef Stalin, under whose rule Artsakh was place within the Azerbaijan SSR as an autonomous oblast.

“After all, we are guided by the same theories that Stalin formulated. Our thought process is derived from the expressions and viewpoints that he instilled. Today, there are no democratic protections,” Pashinyan said.

In the same presentation, Pashinyan again railed against the opposition and his predecessors, Levon Ter-Petrosian, Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sarkisian. He continued his crusade against the Armenian Church and Catholicos Karekin II, despite not having any Constitutional authority to meddle in Church matters.

Pashinyan had announced over the weekend that a referendum for a new Constitution will be held after the scheduled parliamentary election in June, 2026.

Speaking at the democracy forum on Tuesday, Pashinyan said that Armenia’s new constitution must create a legal connection between the people and the legal order.

He said that the current various constitutions in Armenia have never enjoyed the support of the majority of the population, and they were, in essence, unpopular, saying the law of the land in Armenia is oppressive.

“The current constitution and legal order in Armenia are as hateful to the people as those adopted by the Soviet Union, the Russian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire; this is an imposed agenda,” Pashinyan declared.

He went on to say that the adoption of a new constitution will enable the country to overcome the main problem of Armenia’s democracy, in particular, the disconnect between the judicial system and the people.

According to Pashinyan, the current judicial system of Armenia lacks an “organic link” with the country’s society. It operates in isolation, and this, in turn, undermines trust in it.

“The power belongs to the people, and any power must stem from them. Today I see a serious systemic problem. The judicial system in Armenia does not stem from the people and is completely separated from them,” Pashinyan said.

He emphasized that until this problem is resolved, it is simply impossible to ensure the full development of democracy in Armenia.

— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Nov 2, 2025

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#SouthCaucasus
x.com/clashreport/status/198…
#Pashinyan: Recent speech on  #trust and  #KGB – Google Search  google.com/search?q=Pashinya…  In a recent speech, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed issues of national security reforms and public trust in state institutions, referencing a broader need to overcome past influences, which in public discourse and civil society discussions are often linked to the legacy of the KGB and Russian influence. [1, 2] Key points from his recent statements include:  Need for Lustration and Reform: While Pashinyan did not use the term “KGB” himself in the snippets available, an October 2025 statement from a coalition of Armenian civil society organizations supporting his government’s “cleanup” efforts explicitly mentioned the “penetration of Russian KGB influence into various layers of our society” over the past 30 years and called for lustration to counter this. This suggests the term and its associated historical context are part of the ongoing public debate that Pashinyan’s reforms address. Strengthening State Institutions and Public Trust: Pashinyan has emphasized the need to increase people’s trust in state institutions, particularly the judiciary and law enforcement bodies. He has linked the lack of trust in the judicial system to its historical disconnect from the people and the need for a new constitution to address this fundamental problem. Security Service Reorganization: Pashinyan has consistently pushed for reforms in the National Security Service (NSS), aiming to transform it primarily into a counterintelligence body, while creating a separate Foreign Intelligence Service. He argues that separating intelligence and counterintelligence functions aligns with international best practices and strengthens the service, though some critics view these efforts as part of a broader move away from Russian influence. Combating Corruption: Pashinyan has indicated that high levels of corruption in the past were systemic and pervasive, undermining public trust in investigations and court rulings. He stressed the importance of credibility in the fight against corruption, ensuring that anti-corruption measures are serious and effective, which requires robust institutional guarantees. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]  In summary, Pashinyan’s recent public addresses focus on deep-seated institutional reforms, democratic consolidation, and building public trust, within a context where external commentators and civil society groups specifically reference the need to counter historical KGB/Russian influence. [1, 5]  AI responses may include mistakes.  [1]  facebook.com/CivilNet.TV/pos…]  news.am/eng/news/911386.html…]  arminfo.info/full_news.php?i…]  primeminister.am/en/statemen…]  asbarez.com/touting-himself-… x.com/clashreport/status/1984905323669545391

— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Nov 2, 2025