Ex-Ambassador of Armenia to the Holy See Mikayel Minasyan posted on his Facebook a video in which he talks about his meeting with Director of the National Security Service Artur Vanetsyan in Rome in February 2019, stating that Nikol Pashinyan had assigned Vanetsyan to meet with him.

Minasyan stated that he knew Vanetsyan, but they weren’t close with each other.

During the meeting, Vanetsyan spoke on behalf of Pashinyan and told Minasyan that if he transferred a certain symbolic amount of money to a certain fund, all of the criminal prosecutions against him would be terminated, but he had to leave politics and return to Armenia after a while.

“I rejected Nikol Pashinyan because I couldn’t forgive myself and live the good life, knowing that my people and homeland are in this situation. Unlike many others, I have always written and said that a great catastrophe awaits us Armenians, not predicted. I can never make deals with people whom I have viewed and still view as simply liars, irresponsible people, traitors of the nation and, I must add, unfortunately, enemies of the state because what is happening to Armenia and the Armenian people today is simply treason,” he said.

Minasyan stated that even though he had received many offers from different countries and organizations after his term as ambasasdor ended, he rejected the offers because he couldn’t sit back and watch Armenia move towards perdition.

“In the current situation, in spite of the several statements of the head of state that I have privatized strategic facilities, plundered and stolen billions, I repeat that there is no fact about plunder and any transaction that will prove that I have plundered. I would like to look into your eyes and make it clear that I have never stolen or plundered or taken money from the state budget of Armenia and I have never done anything that will make me feel ashamed,” he said, adding that his sole purpose is to serve the people of Armenia.

In closing, Minasyan addressed the law-enforcement authorities of Armenia and said that everything is on the record and that they won’t be able to say they were executing orders when the time comes for them to be sentenced in court.