A New Foreign Intelligence Service Will Be Established Under the Authority of the Prime Minister

The government of Armenia today approved a package of legislative projects regarding the "Law on Foreign Intelligence Activities and the Foreign Intelligence Service." According to this, a foreign intelligence service will be established in Armenia, which will operate under the authority of the Prime Minister.

Acting Minister of Justice Grigor Minasyan, who presented the project, stated, "Considering that both the Ministry of Defense and the National Security Service have units performing similar functions, in which the service is military service, there is a political decision to create a new type of state service that will not be military service."

According to him, the establishment of the foreign intelligence service will not only enhance the functional efficiency of the NSS by allowing it to focus on counterintelligence and the fight against terrorism but will also enable a more agile and adequate response to the evolving challenges of the changing world and region.

"The transitional provisions of the project stipulate regulation that after three years from the adoption of the legislative package aimed at the establishment and stabilization of the foreign intelligence service, other bodies and units conducting foreign intelligence activities will cease such activities, transferring this function completely to the new service," Minasyan noted.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also pointed out that the methods of foreign intelligence are undergoing significant changes, and it is essential for Armenia to be able to develop its capabilities in line with modern conditions. "Intelligence methods in the world are evolving in such a way that they do not always have a direct link to military-type services. Therefore, we have decided to establish a foreign intelligence service as an agency subordinate to the Prime Minister," he stated.