Armenian Justice Minister steps down following parliamentary pressure

Armenian Justice Minister Grigor Minasyan has submitted his resignation to the Prime Minister, announcing his decision via social media.

Minasyan's resignation comes after around thirty MPs from the ruling party gathered signatures urging the government to remove him from office, Caliber.Az reports via Armenian media.

He stated that he decided to "join" the signature collection and submit his resignation.

In his remarks, Minasyan emphasized the challenges of holding a ministerial position in a parliamentary system when faced with opposition from even a single deputy, noting that over 20 deputies were against him. He expressed that while people expect swift actions from justice ministers to restore fairness, such changes cannot happen overnight. He acknowledged that he could have remained in his position, continued to fight for justice, and demonstrated the results of his work, but ultimately chose to return to the private sector, which he feels is more aligned with his passions.

The campaign against Minasyan began last week, with reports indicating that the ruling faction had opposed his appointment from the start due to his familial connections, including being the brother of former Vatican ambassador Mikael Minasyan and the son-in-law of Armenia's third president, Serzh Sargsyan.

Tensions were further heightened by the recent appointment of Sirvard Gevorgyan, a classmate of the daughter of Armenia's second president, Robert Kocharyan, as deputy minister. Notably, Gevorgyan also resigned amidst the signature collection efforts.

By Tamilla Hasanova