Vladimir Gasparyan commented on Nerses Nazaryan's dismissal

Chief of police Vladimir Gasparyan answered questions of Lragir.am

Mr. Gasparyan, Nerses Nazaryan was the chief of police of Yerevan for many years, he was said to have a strong “back”, and though he was not on good terms with the ex-chief of police, he remained in his position. How did you succeed dismissing him yesterday?

I don’t think those conversations are serious. I am working, for me it’s important if my employees are working well or badly. For me it’s important whether a person works in one position long or short. For me the operational situation is important, I feel the operational situation and make decisions by breathing. I don’t see such things as succeeding or not succeeding.

There are rumors that relations between you and Nerses Nazaryan were spoiled, why?

My relations? It is a strange question. As a rule, nobody spoils relations with me, especially my supervisees.

Nerses Nazaryan is rumored to be your deputy. Is that right?

I have no such information, I am the head of this institution and I have no such information. I don’t know yet what I am going to do and when, this information has nothing to do with the reality.

What is your attitude to Nerses Nazaryan’s business activities? Was it normal? He is said to be a participant of a financial pyramid.

I am lawyer and I care for documents. No business is registered in the name of the general, he is not a businessman. His family members might be but it is their business, people have such rights from the Constitution, don’t they?

Is his dismissal related to April 9 when the police used violence against people?

I don’t think we should discuss April 9 today. We will take our chance and time to discuss and we will take our chance and time to make assessments. And as to linking it to something specific, I don’t know business, April 9 or Wednesday or moon days or whatever, I may sound immodest but it is nonsense. When I make decisions, I am not guided by one thing or another, one’s color of eyes, the suit one is wearing, I look inside him, how long he has been in that position and many other criteria. I make a decision when a combination of all these is in place. I don’t care who, from where and what, I care about performance, results, I care for the opinion of the society, the opinion of the citizens.

Does it follow from your words that you were dissatisfied with Nerses Nazaryan’s work?

If you principally want to achieve this … (laughs).

I conclude it from your words.

I am not satisfied because when one works in the same place for many years, one stops seeing some things. This is something usual. Having worked at the military police for many years, I was tired of my work and I told myself it is time to be transferred. My presence was already redundant there because I have standards, approaches, those were already fossilized in me, there was no inner creative initiative, it was stagnation. So it is a right decision indeed because it was the worst obstacle.

Will you appoint him to another position?

I don’t know, it depends on human resource relocations which I expect to plan and do together with my colleagues. Some steps are needed to boost effectiveness of work.

Are any other dismissals to be expected in the system?

We might cut the head office staff and those sitting in their offices at the head office will go to work at places. Our structure will be upgraded logically, we will use our human resources more purposefully, and it is in reforms, we will soon carry out structural and other changes. From this point of view it is not ruled out to review appointment to one position or another. Nothing is ruled out. I am not a categorical personality, I know one thing that any person can improve at any time, by my Lord’s will. I am the kind that knows how to forgive.