The leader of the Homeland party and former National Security Service (NSS) head Artur Vanetsyan said Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan relies on the NSS as his only means to retain power, Sputnik Armenia reports.

He warned that the ruling power’s zero public rating leaves the security apparatus as its sole foundation. “If you remove law-enforcement support even for a second, this government will collapse within five minutes,” Vanetsyan stated.

He criticized the frequent rotation of NSS directors, attributing it to the Pashinyan’s fear and distrust.

In the past seven years, the NSS has had six directors—most recently on June 28, when Andranik Simonyan, a former deputy director, was appointed by Pashinyan. Simonyan replaced Armen Abazyan, dismissed June 18. Media reports link Abazyan’s removal to businessman Samvel Karapetyan’s arrest, claiming Abazyan refused Pashinyan’s order to stage a demonstration at Karapetyan’s residence.

Discussing the new director’s background, Vanetsyan asserted that the NSS traditionally avoids external hires. Though Simonyan briefly served as deputy, he lacked initial career experience in intelligence. “Today’s NSS director has never served within the agency,” and was appointed deputy “in violation of law.” Simonyan held the rank of captain, whereas the law requires deputy directors to be at least colonel, and to have held senior positions in the past three to five years—criteria he fails to meet.

Vanetsyan addressed media allegations of government collaboration with foreign entities—claims unobserved during his tenure. “If there were revelations, they would have been prosecuted. But current actions suggest they might indeed be directed by foreign intelligence. However, I have no direct evidence from my term,” he said.

He also questioned the new External Intelligence Service’s effectiveness: “A body has been created about which we know nothing. As a citizen, maybe that’s acceptable. But as someone from security, I see no intelligence work being done. If we ask who Kristine Grigoryan is, what intelligence experience does she have?”

Concluding, Vanetsyan criticized the service’s model, saying officials even cited James Bond films as inspiration—a notion he called both laughable and deeply concerning. “Armenia’s security system is in very poor condition. Security isn’t a single body or function—it operates as a whole—and today we have a fractured security system.”