The Office of the President of Armenia, in a statement today, labelled the January 23 Hetq article claiming that Armen Sarkissian resigned as president because he held dual citizenship when elected to the post in 2018 and thus risked criminal prosecution, as “an attempt to divert public attention with a false agenda.”

In the article, Hetq alleges that Sarkissian held dual Armenian and St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship before his election as president in 2018 and thus was not eligible to serve as president based on Article 124 of Armenia’s Constitution.

Sarkissian, in his January 23 resignation statement, said he lacked the power to influence government policy and confront the challenges facing Armenia.

“The president does not have the necessary tools to influence the radical processes of domestic and foreign policy in these difficult times for the country and the nation,” the statement read.

Sarkissian was not in Armenia when he resigned and his whereabouts are unknown.

Armenia’s National Security Service has launched a probe into Sarkisian’s citizenship issue.