At Committee Legislative Initiatives Debated in Second Reading are Endorsed
It is proposed to create Foreign Intelligence Service by the presented package of draft laws as a state administration system body subordinate to the RA Prime Minister. As a separate structure the necessity of creating Foreign Intelligence Service stems from the necessity of raising the efficiency of the activity of the foreign intelligence and anti-intelligence character. The Secretary of the RA Security Council Armen Grigoryan said about this at the extraordinary sitting of the NA Standing Committee on Defense and Security on December 22. The draft law on Foreign Intelligence Activity and Foreign Intelligence Service with the enclosed legislative package authored by the Government was debated in the second reading.
There is a goal to form an intelligence community in Armenia by creating a Foreign Intelligence Service, where the most important role is reserved to the Foreign Intelligence Service.
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The creation of the department is consonant with the world experience with the leading countries of the world, the countries of the region and our immediate neighbours.
The creation of the Foreign Intelligence Service will not only promote the rise of functioning efficiency of the National Security Service, giving an opportunity to concentrate on the directions of the fight against anti-intelligence and terrorism, but also will help to react more flexible and adequate to the changing world and the challenges of the region.
The powers of the service, the system and the structure, the formation, activity of the foreign intelligence service, the employees’ rights, duties and responsibility, the legal and social guarantees and other guarantees connected with the service were specified.
“There is a political decision to create a new kind of state service, which will not be military service. With that we’ll create an opportunity for the peoples with other specialties, especially the specialists specialized in the high technological sphere to join the service,” the Secretary of the RA Security Council clarified.
From the beginning a provision was designed that after the adoption of the legislative package, after three years, the other bodies carrying out foreign intelligence activity will terminate to implement such action. After that there were many debates, the draft was undergone to revision, according to which, after three years the activity of the relevant subdivision carrying out foreign intelligence activity of the National Security Service will be stopped. The remaining departments will continue their similar function. Conditioned by the adoption of the draft it is envisaged to make Addendum to the law on Formation and Activity of the Security Council, adding the Head of the Service among the members of the Security Council.
As the Chair of the RA NA Standing Committee on Defense and Security Andranik Kocharyan observed. The structure being separated will obtain not only an opportunity of independently forming, but it will reduce the indirect obstacles disrupt the activity.
Regarding the issue of the election of the structure personnel, Armen Grigoryan noted that there is a special provision in the draft on creating a Service school, in order the majority of the personnel will be prepared in Armenia. “Our prior problem is the creation of the Armenian school. Our goal is to make big contribution in the establishment of this institute and be able to establish one of the most important institutes of providing security,” he stressed.
The co-speaker Armen Khachatryan noted that the issue of one of the turning reforms of the security system, the creation of the Foreign Intelligence Service is under debate. It will implement an activity aimed at defending the RA, the citizens from external threats, carrying out collection and elaboration of information on the vital interests of our country. He presented some technical proposals.
The deputy Vilen Gabrielyan welcomed such initiative aimed at the factual transformations of the content, meaning and principles in the security system of Armenia.
At the extraordinary sitting of the Committee the draft law on Ensuring Security to the Persons Subject to the Special State Protection and the package of the enclosed draft laws authored by the Government was also debated.
According to the RA Security Council Armen Grigoryan, with these reforms an opportunity is given to the National Security Service to concentrate on the works in several directions.
The debated legislative initiatives were endorsed.
National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia