Government approves bill to create Ministry of Interior

• 11.24.2022, 13:10
•  Armenia

The Police of Armenia, the Rescue Service and the Migration and Citizenship Service will be merged into one structure – the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

"The ministry’s functions will focus on five main areas – maintenance of public order, prevention and discovery of crimes, disaster risk management, migration and citizenship, and management of state reserves and humanitarian issues", the Acting Minister said, adding that the heads of the services will be appointed by the Prime Minister.

The draft also proposes to terminate the activity of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and a period of up to four months has been planned for that as a transition stage.

He stated that the creation of the Interior Ministry will be followed by other initiatives at a legislative and functional level, which will finalize the implementation of sectoral reforms.

"The most prospective meaning of this change is to have a new standard Police and a new standard Rescue Service. We must also have new standards of the Police, the Rescue Service, over which works have already been done", the PM said, adding that according to these amendments, the Police Chief will be the Deputy Minister of Interior, as well as a member of the Security Council.

He informed that the Police forces will turn into a Police Guard which will have broader functions.

"As a result we will have a new police and a new rescue service. And one of the deputy ministers must hold the position of the Head of the Rescue Service", the PM said.