Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan has appointed former parliament speaker Alen Simonyan to head the country’s Security Council. Simonyan replaces Armen Grigoryan as the council's secretary.

The Security Council plays a central role in coordinating Armenia's defense, foreign policy, and regional security measures.

Simonyan was rejected by his own party’s (Civil Contract) leadership to continue as parliament speaker.

At the end of June 2026, the board of the ruling Civil Contract party held a closed-door vote. They chose not to renominate Simonyan, despite his public desire to keep the role.

After the rejection, Simonyan formally declined the parliamentary mandate he had won in the June 2026 election and left the National Assembly entirely.

Simonyan stated to reporters that Pashinyan and the party leadership never provided him with an official explanation for why he was replaced as parliament  speaker.