Yeghishe Кirakosyan leaves post, denies link to legal case withdrawals

PanARMENIAN.Net - Yeghishe Kirakosyan has been relieved of his duties as Armenia’s representative for international legal affairs. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has signed the corresponding decree.

In a statement on his Facebook page, Kirakosyan explained that he decided to step down in order to focus on academic, scientific, and professional activities.

"I have decided to step down as Armenia’s representative for international legal affairs. I want to focus more on academic, scientific, and professional work, contributing to the strengthening of international law in Armenia as well as the development of legal education.

Since the 44-day war in 2020, our office has been actively engaged in presenting interstate complaints against Azerbaijan before the European Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice. We have also worked to ensure Armenia's effective representation in ongoing international litigation and arbitration cases. Additionally, the office has initiated key international treaty ratifications, including the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the 1899 and 1907 Hague Conventions on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes," the statement reads.

Kirakosyan also expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for his trust and thanked colleagues in the government for their cooperation.

The chairman of the Armenian Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee, Sargis Khandanyan, commented on Kirakosyan’s resignation, stating that his departure is not connected to any potential withdrawal of Armenia’s legal cases against Azerbaijan in international courts, as some media speculated, according to Armenpress.

"I see no such connection," Khandanyan stated.

He emphasized that his comments were based only on the information provided by the Prime Minister’s office.

"I do not have additional details. Mr. Kirakosyan resigned at his own request, and this was the result of months of discussions," Khandanyan said.

*Kirakosyan’s resignation became public on the evening of March 5. The Prime Minister’s office stated that he had submitted his resignation in accordance with a prior agreement made months ago. Meanwhile, the government denied media reports suggesting that multiple employees from Kirakosyan’s office were also resigning.

One of the unresolved points in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty negotiations is the withdrawal of lawsuits filed against each other in international courts. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has previously stated that if a peace treaty is signed, withdrawing these cases would be logical and acceptable for the Armenian side.*