Zhoghovurd newspaper of Armenia writes as follows, in particular: According to Zhoghovurd daily’s sources close to the government, the incident of an Azerbaijani [soldier] appearing in the Shaki settlement of Syunik Province has caused serious discontent within the authorities, especially in [PM] Nikol Pashinyan.

According to our information, within the authorities they are discussing the fact that law enforcement and relevant state bodies [of Armenia] have been informed about the Azerbaijani’s penetration into the territory of Armenia for several days, but the necessary operational measures were not taken. Moreover, the [local] population was not properly informed about the situation, as a result of which the Azerbaijani [soldier] ended up in a villager’s home.

According to sources of the Zhoghovurd daily, a rather tough discussion took place in the government recently on this issue. Nikol Pashinyan expressed strong dissatisfaction with the work of the officials of the National Security Service [(NSS)], the Ministry of Defense, the territorial administration sector, and other relevant departments, and demanded to find out who specifically knew about the Azerbaijani’s infiltration, why no effective action was taken for several days, and why the population was not informed in a timely manner about the possible danger.

Moreover, the matter of not only the accountability of specific officials, but also possible dismissals at the leadership level of departments is currently being discussed within the authorities’ circles.

Although the protection of that border section [of Armenia] is carried out by the NSS border guards, according to our authorities’ sources, there is dissatisfaction also with the Ministry of Defense. Nikol Pashinyan’s dissatisfaction is, in particular, is related to the fact that why the relevant structures were unable to respond to the situation in Syunik in a timely and appropriate manner. And now they are demonstrating collective irresponsibility.

After the Shaki incident, some dismissals have already taken place, including at the local government level. However, it is being discussed within the authorities’ elite that it is possible that the issue of accountability will also be raised at a higher level in the near future.

Pashinyan, according to our information, demanded to find out the entire chain in a short term: who knew, when they knew, what measures were taken or not taken, and who was responsible for ensuring the safety of that sector of the population. A corresponding report on the results shall be submitted to the prime minister, after which he shall make a decision.

Thus, the Shaki incident, according to the authorities’ sources of Zhoghovurd, may also have political and personnel consequences—at the level of top figures.