Wednesday, May 8 2019 10:43

ArmInfo. The National Assembly of Armenia at its May 8 meeting in the second and final reading amended the law on the structure and activities of the government.

According to RA Minister of Justice Artak Zeinalyan, some changes  have been made to the document in the second reading. In particular,  it is proposed to rename the Ministry of Information Technology  Industry to the Ministry of High Technologies. The functions of this  department will include international cooperation in the  military-industrial complex (MIC), since the ministry, among other  issues, will be engaged in the development and modernization of the  MIC. Government meetings will be held in the open mode, except for a  few cases. Criteria for the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs  are defined. He must be at least 25 years old, have a higher  education, be fluent in Armenian and at least two foreign languages.  As for the rest, as the minister noted, the document has not changed.

Earlier, RA Justice Minister Artak Zeynalyan, introducing the   document, noted that the main goal of reforming the law "On the   structure and activities of the government" and in a package of   related laws is the formation of an optimal structure that will   enable to best ensure the activities of the cabinet of ministers by   implementing the government's program and policies emanating from it.   According to him, the executive body is confident that with the   presented structure it will be able to implement the government   program. The development of a package of documents was preceded by   numerous discussions, situation analyzes, study of of experience. It   is envisaged, in particular, to keep the posts of two deputy prime   ministers instead of three deputy prime ministers, in particular, the   position of first deputy prime minister is cut. Of the 18 ministries,   12 will remain.  For example, the Ministry of Sports and Youth  Affairs, the Ministry  of Culture, the Ministry of Education and  Science are united in one  structure - the Ministry of Education,  Science, Culture and Sport.  The Ministry of Agriculture unites with  the Ministry of Economy into  one single organization - the Ministry  of Economy of the Republic of  Armenia. The Ministry of Energy  Infrastructures and Natural Resources  unites with the Ministry of  Territorial Administration and Development into a single structure -  the Ministry of Territorial  Administration and Infrastructures. The  functions of this department  will also include all issues related to  transport. The new department  will include a water management  committee, a civil aviation committee  and a state property  management committee. The Ministry of Transport,  Communications and  Information Technology will be renamed the  Ministry of High-Tech  Industry with the exception of  transport-related functions and the  inclusion of functions related to the digital economy and the  military- industrial complex. In the  future, it is planned that the  functions of the committee of the  military-industrial complex will  fall to this state structure.  Instead of the Ministry of Diaspora,  the institute of the High  Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs under  the office of the Prime Minister will be established. It is envisaged  that the employees will  continue to work the established units in  the new departments, except  for political and conceptual posts, as  well as posts that overlap. It  is planned that 60-70 conceptual  posts will be reduced - deputy  ministers and heads of departments.   In addition, when transferring a  civil servant from one department  to another, it is possible that he  will be demoted or less paid. If  such conditions are not accepted,  the civil servant will be  transferred to the reserve. Thus, as noted  by Artak Zeynalyan, the  following departments will operate in the  public administration  system: 1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2.   Ministry of Defense 3.   Ministry of Emergency Situations 4. Ministry  of Justice 5. Ministry  of Labor and Social Affairs 6. Ministry of  Education, Science and  Culture 7. Ministry of Nature Protection 8.  Ministry of Health 9.  Ministry of Finance 10. Ministry of Economy 11.  Ministry of  Territorial Administration and Infrastructures 12.  Ministry of High  Technologies Industry .

Earlier, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted that the main goal of   reforms in the system is to increase management efficiency. At the   same time, there will be no personnel pogroms, but priority will be   given to the best highly professional workers. "Yes, there will be   reductions, but they will be carried out in an evolutionary way, and   each employee will get his chance," the head of government stressed,   also pointing out the importance of a balanced and objective approach   in dealing with personnel issues. He added that today's decision is   of an interim nature, and in the future some changes are not  excluded.