Armenia streamlines local administration: from 70 to 64

ArmInfo. At its March 12 session, the Armenian government approved the draft laws "On Amendments to the Law on the Administrative-Territorial Division of the Republic of Armenia" and "On Amendments to the Law on Local  Self-Government." After the amendments, the total number of communities in the Republic of Armenia will be 64, instead of the current 70.

As Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Davit  Khudatyan noted, this is the 8th stage of community consolidation. It  involves merging nine communities with 80 settlements to form three  consolidated communities in three regions. The three enlarged  communities are the Stepanavan community in the Lori region, which  includes the current Stepanavan, Gyulagarak, and Lori Berd  communities, 20 settlements in total; the Goris community in the  Syunik region, which includes the current Goris, Tatev, and Teg  communities, 28 settlements in total; and the Yeghegnadzor community  in the Vayots Dzor region, which includes the Yeghegnadzor, Areni,  and Yeghegis communities,  32 settlements in total.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, for his part, noted that there has  not been a single case where  authorities questioned the  justification of community enlargement. "On the contrary, in all  cases, we see a concrete impact on the community's life,   settlements, and  socioeconomic situation. For example, subsidy  opportunities for enlarged communities are significantly increased  and diverse, and this is a very important indicator," he said.  According to the Prime Minister, the government is also "in the  black." "It's easier for the government to work with the leaders of  60 communities than with 600 or 800 community leaders," Nikol  Pashinyan added.