Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has dismissed Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan and appointed former parliament speaker Alen Simonyan as his replacement.
The changes were announced on Thursday, 13 August, according to Armenpress.
“I have decided to change the Secretary of the Security Council. I am grateful to Armen Grigoryan for the work he has done over the past eight years,” Pashinyan said at a government meeting.
The prime minister did not give a reason for the decision at the time.
Grigoryan has led Armenia’s Security Council since the 2018 revolution, becoming a key figure in the country’s security and foreign policy establishment.
His tenure has spanned some of Armenia’s most difficult years, including renewed conflict with Azerbaijan and subsequent efforts to secure a lasting peace.
One of his more recent initiatives was the Bridge of Peace project, which brought Armenian and Azerbaijani civil society representatives together for meetings in both countries.
The initiative was presented as an effort to build contacts and strengthen confidence between the two societies.
Alen Simonyan takes over at the Security Council after serving as parliament speaker from 2021 to 2026.
His departure from parliament came after he failed to secure another term as speaker with the ruling Civil Contract party.
Simonyan had sought to remain in the post after the June election, but Ruben Rubinyan, Armenia’s chief negotiator with Türkiye, was chosen as speaker.
Simonyan subsequently said he would leave parliament rather than continue as an ordinary MP.
His new appointment returns him to the centre of government, this time in a key national security role.
It remains unclear whether Grigoryan will take up another public position.
Pashinyan thanked him publicly for his work but did not announce a new role for him.
The change comes as Armenia continues its efforts to normalise relations with Azerbaijan and Türkiye while reassessing its traditional security partnerships.
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