The issue of reinstating the director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute is not being discussed, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan said.

Responding to journalists’ questions about the reasons for the dismissal of former director Edita Gzoyan, the minister said she does not see the need to provide further explanations, according to RFE/RL.

Andreasyan emphasized that she values Gzoyan as a scholar and believes she has every opportunity to continue her academic work, including at the museum.

“In that sense, I believe our cooperation is not exhausted at all. But management is a specific sphere that implies specific responsibilities, and problems in the management domain must be resolved,” Andreasyan said, adding that “there was a situation that should not have happened.”

When asked whether Gzoyan had been informed about changes to a protocol that had been in place for years, the minister replied that she was not responsible for that issue.

Andreasyan also denied reports that museum staff had earlier been told the director’s dismissal was linked to construction work being carried out at the memorial complex. She said she had only one meeting with employees, which took place the previous day.

“We discussed all issues in detail. I shared information with the staff and addressed the concerns they raised. From the very beginning I framed the issue as a matter of management and continue to view it from that perspective,” she said.

According to the minister, the meeting with employees largely focused on their research activities. She said staff were encouraged to return to normal work, adding that there had been no discussion about closing the department dealing with the topic of Artsakh.

Andreasyan also noted that she generally raised questions related to the construction works at the memorial complex.

The minister also commented on statements by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who earlier said Gzoyan had presented U.S. Vice President JD Vance with a book about the Artsakh conflict, describing the move as provocative and stating that the dismissal followed his direct instruction, Panorama.am reports.

“Gzoyan was the director, therefore it is a management issue. If you connect one word to another, you will understand the essence of the problem I described. We are speaking about management matters related to a person in a leadership position. For me the issue is closed. There was a situation that should not have happened, and that situation has now been resolved,” Andreasyan said.

A few days earlier, all 74 employees of the museum-institute had appealed to the prime minister, expecting the decision to be reconsidered. In comments to RFE/RL, they said their opinion had not been sought.

A group of genocide scholars also expressed concern over Edita Gzoyan’s dismissal in an open letter.

It became known earlier that about a month after U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s visit to the Armenian Genocide Memorial complex, the museum-institute’s director had left her post. Staff had said they were initially told the dismissal was related to construction work at the site.

Later, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that Gzoyan had been dismissed on his direct instruction after presenting Vance with a book about the Artsakh conflict in early February.