At 3 P.M. on Monday, February 26th, from the podium at Freedom Square where the public rally continues, it was announced that the following three officials from the ROA Ministry of Trade and Economic Development had declared their support for the popular movement headed by Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

Following in the footsteps of 3 Armenian Ambassadors and one Envoy already dismissed for publicly condemning the government’s handling of the February 19th presidential elections, six more high-ranking officials at the Foreign Ministry of the ROA declared their opposition to the elction process and were summarily relieved of office.

They include: Vladimir Karapetian, Foreign Ministry Press Secretary; Varsenik Baghdasarian, head of UN Division at RA FM; Karine Afrikian, Head of USA and Canada Division, Marta Aivazian, Head of the NATO Division; Arakel Semerjian, Advisor to the European Department and Elen Peteyan, Secretary of the South American Department. 

Today, February 25th, Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian, commenting on the action taken by the above individuals, declared that, “Members of the diplomatic corps do no have the right to take such positions. The law does not allow such a thing.”

The Foreign Minister stated that, “...I signed their dismissal notices with a great deal of pain as it was a blow to the system.”

During the interview the Foreign Minister posed the following question to the reporters present  - “How do you explain the fact that these individuals at one time represented the country’s president in the world forum and now they support a candidate who labels the current president a criminal?”

According to Vardan Oskanian these individuals either had personal or business links to former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan. The Foreign Minister concluded by stating that, “ However, we showed no discrimination amongst them. I have no desire to know whether or not there are others with the same position since we’re not on a witch hunt.”