Establishment of Ministry of Internal Affairs Discussed at Parliamentary Hearings in Armenia

Today, parliamentary hearings devoted to creation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the importance of civilian oversight in the field of security took place in the National Assembly of Armenia.

Chairman of the Standing Committee on Defense and Security of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia          Andranik Kocharyan addressed the participants of the event. He noted that the Ministry of Internal Affairs would become a sectoral political authority. Andranik Kocharyan stressed that exercising democratic control over power structures was an important principle of countries adhered to a parliamentary model of government.

According to the Chairman of the Committee, the institutional and functional characteristics of the newly established Ministry of Internal Affairs had been determined in the result of joint work with the police, the Ministry of Justice and international structures.

Minister of Justice Karen Andreasyan noted that the concept of future ministry would be absolutely new. She said that the police would retain their important role and would be part of the civil structure, civil administration and political administration.

Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan underlined that the Government, together with “Civil Contract” Faction was carrying out broad reforms in three fields – in the police, the Ministry of Defense and the Armed forces. As part of the reforms, it is planned to establish a special foreign intelligence agency. Armen Grigoryan stressed the importance of merging the functions of the police and the Ministry of Emergency Situations in one ministry for the security system.

Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia Kristinne Grigoryan underlined that the police should be free from political interference, act professionally, protect society and do so in accordance with the principles of ethics and benevolence. She noted that one of the key ways to ensure this was political, but at the same time civilian representation in the government. According to her, the establishment of the Ministry would protect people against political persecution of the police. Kristinne Grigoryan focused on the creation of the Migration and Citizenship Service within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which will unite the Passport and Visa Department and the Migration Service, in terms of improving the efficiency of migration flows coordination.

According to Deputy Minister of Justice Arpine Sargsyan, the establishment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs would naturally lead to the introduction of effective parliamentary and civil methods of control.

Minister of Justice Karen Andreasyan noted that it was planned to finalize the package of documents on the creation of a new structure within 10 days and submit it to the Parliament for further consideration in September.