Friday, June 19 2020 14:58

ArmInfo. On June 19, Minister  of Justice Rustam Badasyan received a delegation led by the United  States Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Lynne  Tracy.  According to the press service of the RA Ministry of Justice,  the Minister praised the meetings with the Ambassador, noting that  the most important issues of cooperation were discussed during them.

US Ambassador Lynne Tracy reiterated US support for the ambitious  reforms of the Armenian justice system, including the formation of  anti-corruption institutions and police reform.

Speaking about police reforms, Rustam Badasyan emphasized that their  implementation is carried out in the right direction and at high  speed. Regarding the creation of the Patrol Service, the Minister  reminded that the relevant legislative amendments have been made in a  short period of time, by-laws are being developed, and the number of  people interested in working in the Patrol Service is encouraging.

During the meeting, the Minister of Justice also spoke about the  processes taking place in the judicial system, the fight against  corruption and the confiscation of property of illegal origin.

To recall, on April 23 meeting, the Government of the Republic of  Armenia approved a reform strategy and  an action program for  2020-2022.

According to RA Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan, one of the   reform areas will be the creation of the Ministry of Internal   Affairs, which will develop policies and bear political  responsibility for the reform process. The initiative proposes to   maintain the position of chief of police, provided that he will be   appointed by the Prime Minister at the proposal of the Minister. 

It is envisaged to distinguish between civil service in the police   and military, for example, the administration of visas and passports   and the registration center of investigations. It is also planned to   create a Patrol Service and a single operational management center.   This will happen as a result of the merger of the Traffic Police and   the Patrol Service. It is also proposed to include the Central Bank's   Financial Monitoring Center in the structure of the ministry, as well   as to include the functions of the Migration Service in the new  organizational and legal structure of the police. As part of the   reforms, it is envisaged to reorganize internal troops into the   National Guard. The National Guard may, in appropriate cases,   participate in maintaining public order and ensure the protection of  strategic facilities (the functions of the Main Directorate of State   Guard are transferred to the National Guard). It is envisaged that   the National Guard will participate in the prevention and suppression   of mass riots, in the implementation of anti-terrorism measures, in   ensuring the legal regime of martial law and in emergency situations,   in assisting with search and rescue operations in the event of   natural or man-made disasters, and in ensuring the safety of   transportation special cargo.