2025 year of reforms for Armenia`s Rescue Service - minister 

ArmInfo. A meeting with international partners was held at the Ministry of Internal Affairs  of Armenia, during which the head of the department Arpine Sargsyan  summed up the results of the reforms in the structure of the  department.

As reported by the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs,  the event was also attended by the UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia  Francoise Jacob, the head of the European Union Delegation to Armenia  Vasilis Maragos, deputy ministers of internal affairs, heads of  diplomatic missions accredited in the Republic of Armenia, and  others.

Having thanked the international partners for their ongoing support  and close cooperation, the Minister emphasized the importance of  their continued involvement in the process of implementing the  reforms carried out by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Sargsyan noted that meetings in such a format provide an opportunity  to analyze the steps taken jointly and discuss the prospects for  cooperation aimed at implementing new initiatives based on joint  approaches.

"2024 was a tense and difficult year for the Ministry of Internal  Affairs, but our determination to carry out reforms has not changed.  I believe that this is a guarantee that thanks to the will and  determination, as well as your constant and stable support, we  managed to achieve the goals of last year, record the successes at  the end of the year, which will serve as a good basis for 2025," said  Arpine Sargsyan.

In her speech, the UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia Francoise Jacob  highly appreciated the effective cooperation established between the  Ministry of Internal Affairs and UN agencies, pointing out the  significant results achieved in specific areas.

"2024 was a turning point for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This  was an important stage not only for the new leadership of the  department, but also for the implementation of systemic changes. The  UN and its agencies are ready to continue supporting the Ministry of  Internal Affairs in the formation of an accountable structure that  provides quality services to the population," Francoise Jacob noted.

In his speech, Vassilis Maragos touched upon the programs implemented  by the EU. He highly appreciated the results of the reforms,  emphasizing the importance of the coordination platform initiative.

Maragos pointed out the excellent results of the reforms, to which  the EU and the EU expert group made an important contribution.  "Reforms must continue. There are still a number of challenges to  overcome.

Some of them have already been discussed several times, including  commitments to improve human rights protection, develop professional  skills of employees, and ensure gender balance in the Ministry of  Internal Affairs. The European Union has provided significant support  to the work carried out in the target areas and is ready to continue  this support by sharing its experience," said Vasilis Maragos.

Arpine Sargsyan spoke about the results of the reforms of the  Ministry of Internal Affairs and its subordinate services, and  presented in detail the main work carried out by sectors. She  referred to the needs assessment matrix developed by the Ministry of  Internal Affairs within the framework of the reforms, which outlined  actions in four main areas: capacity development of the Ministry of  Internal Affairs, institutional and legal reforms of the police,  migration and citizenship, and rescue services. This matrix formed  the basis for planning joint activities with international partners  in 2024. Summing up, the Minister noted that the work on the  formation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was completed in 2024.

Sargsyan emphasized that joint programs with EU partners aimed at the  establishment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the continuous  development of human resources provided an opportunity to develop the  professional knowledge and skills of employees in the areas of  strategic planning, budget planning and policy development. A toolkit  for monitoring the quality of public services has been developed,  which will improve the quality of services provided, take into  account citizens' feedback and outline appropriate solutions. In the  context of the reforms, the Minister considered the formation of a  single call management center to be an important step, which will  first combine the functions of receiving and managing calls from the  police and rescue services, and then the ambulance service.  Currently, steps are being implemented to create a single center,  which began in 2024. As for the patrol service, one of the main areas  of police activity, it is already fully operational and effective.

Speaking about the development of a new strategy for managing the  migration sphere, the Minister stressed the importance of a single  strategic document that would reflect the state policy in the  migration sphere. She also touched upon the issue of revising the  citizenship institute and the new concept of the state population  register.

Speaking about disaster risk management and the Rescue Service,  Sargsyan especially highlighted the programs for developing the  capacity of personnel with the assistance of international partners.  The floods in Lori and Tavush regions and the rapid response and  assistance of international partners, which played an important role  in assessing the consequences of the natural disaster and planning  measures for their elimination, were also mentioned.

Sargsyan stressed that large-scale work had been carried out to  develop standards for assessing needs after natural disasters.

This year will be a year of transformation for the Rescue Service,  both in terms of structure and functionality.

Speaking about the educational component of civil servants, the  Minister stressed the importance of forming a unified educational  complex, which is one of the achievements of the recent period. By  combining the Police Educational Complex and the Police Academy, this  joint educational institution will undertake the training and  education of personnel for the needs of the Ministry of Internal  Affairs.