Makunts appointed chief adviser to Pashinyan

ArmInfo.  Lilit Makunts, former Armenian Ambassador to the United States, has been appointed chief adviser to the Prime Minister. The decision, as reported by the official government website, was signed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on August 29.

Note that  Makunts' term as Ambassador to the United States has  ended. On August 22, a farewell reception was held at the Armenian  Embassy in the United States in her honor. Prior to her role  as an  Ambassador, she led the parliamentary faction of the ruling bloc "My  Step" and  served as Minister of Culture.  Narek Mkrtchyan, who  resigned from his post as Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of  Armenia on August 27, has been appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and  Plenipotentiary of Armenia to the United States.

Neither Mkrtchyan nor Makunts have backgrounds in diplomacy. He is  actually a historian by education and was previously  a lecturer at  the History Department of Yerevan State University. From 2018 to  2021, he was a member of parliament, and was appointed as Minister of  Labor and Social Affairs in August 2021.