VIDEO: Prime Minister: We will shake off those who cling to our feet and prevent the country from moving forward

During today's government meeting, the decision to dissolve several child care and protection institutions was adopted, including the 'Dilijan Night Care Institution for Children', the 'Gyumri Night Care Institution for Children N1', the 'Gyumri Fridtjof Nansen Night Care Institution N2', and the 'Vanadzor Orphanage' state non-commercial organizations.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted that to prevent this decision from being misconstrued as the government closing orphanages and night schools, he requested the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Zaruhi Batoyan, to elaborate on the decision.

Batoyan explained that the financial resources resulting from the dissolution of these organizations will be fully allocated to expanding the network of day support centers, establishing crisis support centers, increasing the number of foster families, and providing material assistance to children returning to families.

"This decision by the government has been developed to ensure the right of a child to live in a family and does not mean that the government is renouncing its responsibilities towards these children; it simply changes the form of support," she said.

The Prime Minister also mentioned that this is a substantive reform. "These reforms are aimed against despair, as being a student of a night care institution or an orphanage means reading a sentence for a person that they will be outside the margins of success for their entire life. We do not intend to reconcile ourselves with this situation. If, for example, we look at how many students from orphanages or night care institutions have entered universities in Armenia, how many have gained professions, and ensured their wellbeing, we will find ourselves before a disgraceful picture," he said.

Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that they are also addressing the effectiveness of public resource utilization to return children to their families.

He also spoke about policies against domestic violence. "We will advance this policy, not allowing the remnants of the corrupt system in Armenia to keep back progress or to lead into an impasse of ignorance. Our policy will be principled in this regard. Moreover, I am referring to all levels; such forces exist within the government as well, and we must systematically root out all those engaged in the propaganda of ignorance from the state governance system, down to the last detail, so that not a single molecule remains from this bacterium," the Prime Minister stated.

He noted that the same applies to the care of elderly centers. "Let's enter these centers and see the conditions in which these people are literally kept, and we must also put an end to this. This path will not be easy, it is not that we will create an ideal system, but we say that we will not reconcile ourselves with the logic of despair, and no one will stop us on this path. The people of Armenia have given us a mandate to move the country forward, and we will shake off anyone who clings to our feet and doesn’t allow the country to move forward, and we will advance with the confidence of our people. I want everyone to take note of this, including the people involved in the state system," he concluded.