Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed the situation surrounding the car purchased for his daughter, Mariam Pashinyan, during a Facebook live video. Until then, his spokesperson commented on articles stating that Mariam Pashinyan chose the $27,000 car herself, which was purchased using state security service funds. Pashinyan’s spokesperson said that the purchase of the car was in accordance with the law on ensuring the security of persons subject to special state protection. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also referred to this law and noted that the members of the prime minister’s family fall under the protection of this law. “The law clearly states that the Prime Minister and his family members cannot refuse state protection. The individual is protected by the state in a number of ways, including transportation. This means that the individual needs to be protected and security workers need to guard them. If these people are constantly armed, imagine if that individual tried to use the metro or a minibus. This car was not purchased for my family, but instead for the state security service workers who are carrying out the protection of the Prime Minister’s family.”
Pashinyan said that when his daughter, Mariam Pashinyan, got her driver’s license, she drove the family’s 2008 Nissan Qashqai and state security service vehicles would follow. The car that was purchased for Mariam Pashinyan’s protection was not purchased this year, but in 2018. “This was due to the fact that the number of people subject to state protection increased, so new cars were purchased.”
According to Pashinyan, “That’s like saying Kalashnikovs, bulletproof vests, and walkie-talkies were purchased for Mariam Pashinyan.” The Prime Minister said that the family can refuse these services for a temporary period, but it is not clear how long that is.
Pashinyan, remembering his famous quote, “Armenia is my hearth and the people are my family,” spoke about his family’s adventures. “Last Sunday, we took our old car and secretly drove through Yerevan for an hour or two. I think that a few people noticed us. In that case, some could say that what I did was in violation of the law. I also read an article recently that was titled, “Mariam Pashinyan does not get out of the car until a security guard opens the door for her.” It seems that this is also a state security demand. There are security procedures that need to be followed, and since we respect the work of those people…”
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Prepared by Nelly Babayan
