Pashinyan mixes up Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, protocol chief dismissed

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan repeatedly referred to Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov as Kazakhstan’s president. The mix-up occurred at an official event in Yerevan and led to the dismissal of the head of the Armenian government’s protocol service, 24.kg reported.

On Oct. 17, Japarov arrived in Yerevan to attend the COP17 climate conference. While welcoming his guest — and reading from a prepared text — Pashinyan confused the two countries.

«First of all, I would like to welcome President of Kazakhstan Sadyr Japarov back to Armenia,» the prime minister said.

The confusion did not end there. During press interactions, Pashinyan referred to Japarov as the president of Kazakhstan several more times.

According to media reports, the Armenian prime minister did not hide his dissatisfaction following the event. As a result, Gagik Vanoyan, head of the protocol service since December 2022, was dismissed.