Marukyan Appeals to Pashinyan to Restore Ministries of Agriculture and Culture

Edmon Marukyan, a member of the Armenian delegation to the Council of Europe and the leader of the "Enlightened Armenia" party, announced on his Facebook page: "Dear compatriots, I inform you that I have appealed to the Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan with a proposal to restore the ministries of agriculture and culture.

During the amendments to the RA law on the structure and activities of the government in 2019, the "Enlightened Armenia" faction presented an alternative structure to the government, wherein the ministries of agriculture and culture were preserved, considering a number of important factors. However, the proposals were not accepted; it has been over two years since the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Culture ceased to exist as independent entities. Time has shown that the absence of a separate established agency in these fields leads to the stagnation of numerous issues.

The absorption of the Ministry of Agriculture by the Ministry of Economy signified the actual reduction of the ministry, thus diminishing the role of agriculture in our country, where it has always held and continues to hold significant importance and considerable weight in the GDP. Moreover, the powers of the food safety inspectorate can now be delegated back to the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Ministry of Culture should not be included in any other ministry, diminished in any form, as we need a strong Ministry of Culture capable of coordinating our state’s issues amidst cultural wars. It is also relevant to mention that the characteristics of cultural life have always been one of the pillars for the preservation of national identity. At the same time, we need a robust structure that carries the cultural concept to counter cultural distortions."

More details below.