PM assigned bringing all people responsible for March 1 events to responsibility – NSS director

The Prime Minister has not ordered to arrest Khachaturov, National Security Service director Artur Vanetsyan said at a news conference today, referring to the observation that it is clearly heard in the recording that he says “the premier said Khachaturov must be closed.”

“I have not thoroughly heard the conversation but even if so, I said legal grounds are necessary. The premier did not say “close him”, he said all the people involved in this case irrespective of their positions must be brought to responsibility if relevant grounds exist,” he noted.

As to his concerns over problems with Russia in case of Khachaturov’s imprisonment, Vanetsyan said, “This is a conversation between two people and does not suppose preservation of some words or literary expressions. It was a conversation and we spoke in common language and I said what I said,” Vanetsyan stressed.

As to whether there are problems with Russia as in the conversation Vanetsyan said the relations are “just regulating”, the NSS head said, “It is not a secret that after the velvet revolution certain circles started talking that situation has changed in Armenia and the new authorities are changing their political vector. Our Russian colleagues had such concerns too, but they faded away.”