Armenia monitors security risks amid war in Iran

Armenian Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan said Friday that authorities are constantly assessing all security risks for the country. He was asked at a press briefing whether possible risks amid the war in Iran have been evaluated. Papikyan said the process is conducted jointly with various government agencies.

“In the Republic of Armenia, there are agencies such as the Security Council, the Foreign Intelligence Service, and the National Security Service. The Ministry of Defense is in its place, and all risks are being assessed,” Papikyan said. He dismissed criticism suggesting that the ruling Civil Contract party ignored the fallout of the war by conducting a party campaign trip on the first day of the war in Iran. On the contrary, he said the trip was meant to reassure the public. 

“Those activities were aimed at sending the appropriate message to the public. The campaign’s goal was to show society that there is peace in the Republic of Armenia,” Papikyan, a senior Civil Contract official, said in response to reporters’ questions about what message the authorities were conveying when they held a party campaign trip on the day the war in Iran began.