New Attack Planned Against Aram Simonian: '168 Hours'

'168 Hours' newspaper reports: Yesterday, at Yerevan State University (YSU), Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with the faculty of the economics department. Also present was Education and Science Minister Arayik Harutyunyan.

Notably, absent from the presidency, where Prime Minister Pashinyan and Education Minister Harutyunyan were seated, was YSU Rector Aram Simonian. As noted by media outlets, he did not even greet the Prime Minister at the entrance of the university.

In response to a question from 168.am about the reason for his absence from the meeting with the Prime Minister, Rector Aram Simonian stated, 'This is a meeting-conference with economists and not just from the University. Yes, I am not present at this meeting; the law is such that I do not attend all meetings,' adding that there is no problem regarding this matter.

However, no matter how much A. Simonian denies the undeniable, it is evident that the strained relationship between him and the ruling political force, particularly with Prime Minister Pashinyan, is the reason for his absence from today's meeting.

It is no secret that for about a year now, the authorities have been trying by all possible means to achieve Aram Simonian's dismissal, but he has repeatedly stated that he will not voluntarily resign. After various pressures from the authorities—ranging from protests by the 'Restart' student movement funded by George Soros's Open Society Foundations, to fruitless inspections by the State Oversight Service, and various slanders at different official levels—the only exit left for the authorities was to dismiss A. Simonian through a vote of no confidence at the board of trustees. However, this too did not succeed, as the agenda was not approved in that meeting, allowing the rector to continue in office.

Aram Simonian did not submit his resignation even after the Prime Minister hinted during a Government meeting, explicitly referring to Simonian, saying, 'We need to be very clear: for example, those rectors who have turned the higher education system into party cells, those rectors who have closed doors on students, have no place in the New Armenia. This is my very clear position, and we should not be afraid to state this position,' forgetting that universities in Armenia are self-governing bodies and the Prime Minister cannot appoint or dismiss their rectors.

Now, sources from the Government have informed 168.am that a new attack is being prepared against YSU and Aram Simonian, and that preparations are underway before the actual assault.

After the previous board meeting, the Government and Prime Minister Pashinyan himself were dissatisfied that their plan to dismiss Simonian had failed, as not all of the Council's members presented by the Government and the Ministry of Education and Science maintained their obedience and became docile subordinates in their hands.

It should be recalled that the hint particularly concerns Ralph Yirikian, the CEO of Vivasel MTS, and Hovhannes Musayelyan, the Executive Director of Synopsis Armenia, who failed to ensure A. Simonian's dismissal during that meeting.

According to the same government sources, changes are now planned for the management council of YSU, and all members who have adopted a non-loyal stance and have not obeyed the wishes of the Government and the Prime Minister will be removed from the board of trustees, replaced by loyalists—people who comply with the actions of the authorities. This will be done to ensure that the question of expressing no confidence in Aram Simonian succeeds on a second attempt and ends positively for them.

If such developments occur in the near future, it will prove that there is no academic freedom in universities, that their management councils are more unfree and politicized than before, dependent on the will of the Government (as oppositionist Pashinyan accused the former authorities), and that the Government is quite simply compelled to make changes to the Council it established just months ago, in order to achieve its goals with an even more obedient composition.

For further details, refer to today's issue of the newspaper.