The Goal of Merging Communities is to Enhance Management Efficiency: Sanosyan

The process of merging communities proposes to consolidate 441 communities into 37 community clusters or unions, stated the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures of the Republic of Armenia, Gnel Sanosyan, while discussing the government's package of amendments to the laws on "Administrative Division of Armenia" and "Local Self-Government" in parliament. He noted that the merger will restore the format of the 'Soviet districts' in several areas.

"The purpose of the merger is to enhance management efficiency," Sanosyan said, emphasizing that public interest has been taken into account during the process. New schools and kindergartens will be built in communities for public benefit.

"The process of unification and merging ultimately leads to a significant public interest for a simple reason: when a kindergarten, road, drinking water, or other infrastructure is constructed in a community, I believe that the community's public benefits the most from it," he added.

Sanosyan mentioned that there will also be settlements that will not have members in the newly merged community council. "For some reason, we think that if there is no council member from a certain settlement, the representatives of other communities gathered there will be so bad that nothing will be done in the community where there are no council representatives. I think that will not happen," the minister stated.

Responding to criticisms that merging border communities in the post-war period is inappropriate, Sanosyan said, "The war showed that we have many merged communities that were formed before the war and performed very well during the war." As the former governor of Gegharkunik, he cited the communities of Chambarak and Shogakat as examples.