Pashinyan presented the government`s vision on reforming the national security system

ArmInfo. The Armenian government plans to seriously reform the national security system over the next 5 years, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a  parliamentary session on August 24, during the presentation of the government's program for the next years.

So, according to Pashinyan, the National Security Service (NSS) should become a counterintelligence body. The border troops will continue to function as part of the NSS, the fight against terrorism and extremism, as well as the protection of the constitutional order, will remain in the NSS's area of responsibility. A number of functional duties entrusted to the NSS today will be changed and revised over time, Pashinyan noted. As the prime minister assured, the Service, as a result of this reform, will be further  strengthened.

At the same time, as Pashinyan pointed out, there are a number of functional responsibilities that, according to the authorities, should not be in the area of responsibility of this structure. In particular, this concerns intelligence. According to him, world experience shows that intelligence and counterintelligence should function separately from each other. In this context, the government plans to create a Foreign Intelligence Service within the next 5 years. The State Security Service will become a body subordinate to the Prime Minister (now it is in the structure of the RA NSS).

In addition, in the medium term, the NSS will stop fighting corruption crimes. "An anti-corruption committee is being created, which will also carry out operational activities," he explained. Thus, the Investigation Department will no longer consider corruption  cases, but will only deal with the investigation of cases related to the activities of the structure.

Pashinyan said that, according to the program, the border troops of the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia will gradually take over the protection of the entire Armenian-Azerbaijani state border from the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, necessary reforms will be carried out in the border troops of the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia: the number of border troops will be increased, permanent posts for border formations will be built, engineering furnishing of the state border and technical equipment of border units were carried out.

Recall that the Armenian government today, on August 24, presents to the parliament the program of its activities for 2021-2026, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on August 18. The program consists of 6 sections: security and foreign policy, economics, infrastructure development, human capital development, law and justice, institutional development. According to the program, the main factors of ensuring the security of the Republic of Armenia are the modernization of the Armenian army, the Armenian-Russian strategic alliance, Armenia's membership in the CSTO, the formation of a stable regional environment and the unblocking of regional infrastructures, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship, proactively effective foreign policy in all areas, a stable system of bodies. national security; the fight against terrorism and other violent manifestations of  extremism; the dictatorship of law and law; building resilience to disasters; and economic development and social stability.