The conflict between the Armenian State University of Economics (ASUE) and the government continues, after the university temporarily suspended operations on Wednesday, September 23.

The decision comes amid the staff’s demand that Diana Galoyan be approved as the rector of the institution, more than two months after she was elected in the position by the university board members.

Galoyan first came to replace former acting rector Ruben Hayrapetyan after he was fired for "plagiarizing" parts of his doctoral dissertation.

According to a statement from the organizing committee of the university staff, the Academic Council of the university has requested clarifications from the government but has not received any response so far.

Mesrop Arakelyan, an advisor to the Prime Minister, weighed in on the matter on Thursday, saying that the educational process should not be disrupted by administrative, political or other processes

“What the ASUE "pedagogues" have done is unacceptable. Giving quality education is the mission of a pedagogue, which should not depend on the university or the country's authorities. Only students are affected by such disgraceful behavior,” Arakեlyan wrote on Facebook.

Also Thursday, Hayrapetyan, the former acting rector, joined the discussion, maintaining that the university administration has disrupted the education process against the will of the students, whom he urged to fight for their rights.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, Ofelya Kamavosyan told PanARMENIAN.Net, meanwhile, that the Ministry is urging lecturers of the ASUE to return to classrooms and refrain from disrupting the educational process.