ArmInfo.Armenia should do everything necessary to ensure progress in all international rankings. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan stated this on February 8 during the government hour in the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, commenting on the deteriorating position of Armenia in the anti-corruption rating of Transparency International.
According to him, a rollback from previously held positions means there are problems, and cannot but cause concern. This issue, the head of government continued, will be the subject of discussion at a government meeting on February 9. It is also planned to hold an off-site meeting of the Anti-Corruption Policy Council. The prime minister did not rule out that numerous publications in the media about corruption schemes involving this or that official also played their role in compiling the rating. He proposes to build a mechanism for prompt response to such publications. At the same time, the head of government pointed out that many corruption-related cases last 3-4 years, with no end in sight. He did not rule out the possibility of intentionally delaying investigations in order to close these cases after the statute of limitations expired. "Such opportunities must be ruled out, they must not be allowed," Pashinyan said. According to the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), Armenia has regressed among 180 countries, occupying the 63rd place, while in 2021 it was in the 58th place.