PM Pashinyan reappoints Abazyan as head of Armenia's special services

Armen Abazyan has been reappointed to the post of Director of the National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia.

The corresponding decision of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was published on the official government portal, Caliber.Az reports citing Armenian media.

Earlier, Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan, at the suggestion of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, signed a decree dismissing Abazyan from his position.

He was fired and reassigned because, according to amendments to the law “On Service in National Security Bodies,” under the 2015 Constitution, the head of the NSS will now be appointed not by the president, but by the prime minister.

Armen Abazyan was appointed to the post of Director of the National Security Service of Armenia on November 8, 2020, by the decree of then-President Armen Sargsyan. By August 12, 2020, he held the position of deputy head of the special service.

On December 20, 2023, Abazyan was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general by presidential decree.