Why Vahe Ghazaryan Became Minister of Internal Affairs

According to the "Choghovurd" newspaper, on January 4, it was reported that Vahe Ghazaryan, the Chief of Police, would be appointed as the Minister of Internal Affairs of Armenia. The appointment was officially made yesterday. According to our information, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan explained to his associates in the ruling My Step alliance why the current Chief of Police Vahe Ghazaryan was chosen for the position of Minister of Internal Affairs.

Members of the My Step team were puzzled about how the Chief of Police would present himself at the National Assembly sessions and answer questions, given that he had not been active in public life for some time. According to sources, Pashinyan made it clear to his colleagues that, first of all, the decision was his, and then he explained that the Minister of Internal Affairs must have a strong grasp of the system, know the working style of the employees, and be familiar with who they are. Vahe Ghazaryan has extensive experience and knowledge of the system.

Plans of Andranik Kocharyan, Chairman of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Defense and Security, perhaps failed as he did everything possible to prevent Ghazaryan from becoming the minister. As is known, on December 16, 2022, the National Assembly adopted the draft law on the establishment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the second reading and in full. Thus, according to the accepted draft, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Armenia will cease its activities. The agencies under the Ministry of Internal Affairs will include the Police, the Migration and Citizenship Service, and the Rescue Service.

For more details, see today's issue of the newspaper.