Armenia’s Foreign Intelligence Service head, Kristinne Grigoryan, told reporters on Wednesday that there were threats to Armenia’s sovereignty and independence from various countries, but did not specify which external forces posed those threats.
Speaking to reporters outside of parliament, Grigoryan also did not comment on accusations made by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who last week claimed that two members states of the Collective Security Treaty Organizations were actively supporting Azerbaijan during the 2020 War.
Pashinyan made the claim in parliament last week, without naming the countries. However, through his statements, it could be surmised that he was referring to Belarus and Russia.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on Pashinyan to name the two countries, and amid escalating tensions between Yerevan and Moscow, it recalled its ambassador from Armenia “for consultations.”
“Reforms are being carried out in the security sector of Armenia to neutralize those threats,” Grigoryan, the national security chief, said on Wednesday.
“Our prioritized efforts have determined where the external threats emanate and the type of intelligence needed for the development of the state. These efforts are mainly aimed at neutralizing the external threats to Armenia, which come from various countries and angles. Our intelligence is aimed at ensuring that policy and political decisions are made on solid information,” Grigoryan explained.
“In all modern countries, external security challenges have both internal players and external players, and the Republic of Armenia is no exception,” the intelligence chief said when asked whether there are groups within Armenia that are aiding these threats.
Grigoryan was vague in most of her responses to questions from reporters, who, point blank, asked her whether her department saw direct threats from Russia.
“Threats to the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia come from various countries,” she said in response to that question, adding that her agency is “doing everything we can, and sometimes we are trying to do impossible things.”
After warning that these threats were, in fact, existential to Armenia’s sovereignty and independence, she touched on the possibility of military attacks against Armenia.
“There are always threats of a military attack. As long as relations with Azerbaijan are not normalized as they should be, these threats should be taken seriously. But, also, they should not be overestimated and certain conclusions should not be drawn,” said Grigoryan.
