National Security Service Border Troops to Assume Full Responsibility for Armenian-Azerbaijani State Border in Stages

The Government has approved the draft laws amending the law on "Service in the National Security Bodies" and the law on "Compensation for State Officials and Persons Holding State Positions." The adoption of these bills is conditioned by the need to enhance the attractiveness and interest in serving in the National Security Service border troops, particularly in intelligence, counterintelligence, or operational-intelligence activities, as well as in special units, ensuring proper professional preparation, increasing the salaries of service members, and preventing staff turnover.

Specifically, considering the serious security challenges currently faced, including the fact that the border troops of the National Security Service will gradually take over the protection of the entire Armenian-Azerbaijani state border from the Ministry of Defense, it is essential to staff the National Security Service with qualified and knowledgeable personnel, making service in the national security bodies attractive in general, and especially in intelligence, counterintelligence, or operational-intelligence activities, as well as in special units and border troops, and to prevent staff turnover by providing additional social guarantees for personnel serving in these units.

Therefore, it is proposed to establish a certification system in the national security bodies for personnel holding positions involving the implementation of state border protection, intelligence, counterintelligence, operational-intelligence activities, or carrying out special tasks, planning or monitoring functions, based on the results of which bonuses will be calculated for the corresponding personnel. The certification procedure, as well as the amounts of bonuses and the payment procedure, will be determined by a Government decision. It is proposed that certification for the purpose of calculating the bonus be mandatory, which will encourage personnel in the respective units to ensure and maintain proper professional preparation.

Simultaneously, for those service members for whom bonuses have been calculated based on the results of certification, the payment will be made for a period of 3 years, whereas to continue receiving the bonus, the service member will be obliged to undergo re-certification.

At the same time, service members who do not gain the right to receive a bonus from certification results will be able to apply for re-certification within one year, but no more than twice, and if they gain the right to receive a bonus based on the results, the bonus will be calculated from the day the right is acquired. Moreover, service members who do not gain the right to receive a bonus or continue to receive it will be released from their positions and placed at the disposal of the personnel for up to 2 months.

During those 2 months, these personnel will be offered a position corresponding to their education and a group consistent with the one they previously held or one level lower; if they do not agree to this position, after the set period of being at personnel's disposal, the service member will be dismissed from service in accordance with the law. In addition, it is proposed to provide legal regulation stipulating that the list of relevant positions and the procedure for calculating bonuses will be defined by an order from the director of the National Security Service.

The adoption of the bill will ensure proper professional preparation in the aforementioned essential sectors while also increasing the salaries of service members in the respective units. Furthermore, the attractiveness and interest in serving in the respective units will increase, resulting in a replenishment of knowledgeable personnel and a prevention of staff turnover.

At a Government meeting, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted regarding the bill that the certification process will begin in both the army and the National Security Service. "Our aim here is the same: at least to double the salaries," he stated.