Union of Reserve Officers of RA NSS calls on political forces to  depoliticize NSS` activities after June elections

ArmInfo. The Union of Reserve Officers of the National Security Service of Armenia proposes that political forces in Armenia participating in the June parliamentary elections depoliticize the activities of the National Security  Service of Armenia.

The proposal, published on the Union's Facebook page, presents  proposals developed by the Union's representatives regarding the  activities of the National Security Service of Armenia for  discussion, submissions, and the formation of a final position on the  structure's development.

"The system must be depoliticized, and responsibility for the  structure's involvement in political or other personal processes must  be established at the legislative level. Patriotism and  professionalism will be the criteria necessary for service in the  NSS, which will result in a high level of public trust," the Union  noted.

The second point states that the Director of the National Security  Service of Armenia must have clear guarantees of independence: they  cannot be dismissed arbitrarily, and if such a decision is made, the  head of state will be accountable to the National Assembly of  Armenia. "The scope of the country's leader's authority to interfere  with the activities of the National Security Service, particularly in  obtaining information on operational sources, must also be clarified  at the legislative level. Any arbitrary approach to the intelligence  network will be excluded, and information of this nature will not be  declassified or made public," the NSS Reserve Union emphasized.

It further notes that current NSS employees will receive a salary  equal to that of the judicial and prosecutorial system. Furthermore,  according to the source, they will have clear social guarantees  regarding housing, recreation, education, access to healthcare,  exemption from property taxes and other possible government payments,  as well as access to low-interest loans. "An investigative body will  be reinstated within the National Security Service (NSS), and the  feasibility of restoring intelligence and the State Security Service  will be discussed in professional circles. Operational, technical,  search, and high-tech units will be equipped with modern technology,  and highly qualified employees will receive salaries equal to those  of IT specialists. In order to liberalize the country's economy and  avoid duplicating functions with other law enforcement agencies, the  NSS will be stripped of its responsibility for combating economic  crimes. Instead, oversight will be strengthened over all government  institutions, as well as organizations financed from abroad.  Furthermore, special attention will be paid to combating drug and  arms smuggling, money laundering, and shady cryptocurrency  transactions," the organization continued.

It is noted that the NSS's status as an educational institution will  also be elevated, conditions will be created for the return of  employees dismissed from the NSS for subjective reasons, and a  mechanism will be introduced to protect the legitimate interests of  current employees from arbitrary action. "NSS employees will be  protected by the state, and their potential will be utilized in both  the public and private sectors.  Following tradition, December 20th  will once again be designated as NSS Employee Day," the Union of  Reserve Officers of the National Security Service of Armenia  concluded.