Armenian PM dismisses protocol chief after mistakenly calling Kyrgyz president Kazakh

Ulviyya Poladova

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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has dismissed Gagik Vanoyan, head of the State Protocol Service, following a mistake he made during a press conference with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov.

The dismissal decision was published on the Armenian government’s official website.

According to Armenian media reports, Vanoyan, who had held the position since December 2022, was dismissed following Pashinyan’s remarks to the press after talks with Japarov in Yerevan on October 17.

During the statement, Pashinyan mistakenly referred to Japarov as the president of Kazakhstan.

"First of all, I would like to welcome the President of Kazakhstan, Sadyr Japarov, back to Armenia," the Armenian prime minister said while reading from a prepared statement.