Armenia sets up Foreign Intelligence Service

The Armenian government at a meeting on December 8 adopted a draft amendment to the law "On the activities and service of foreign intelligence".

The project provides for the creation of a Foreign Intelligence Service, Caliber.Az reports with reference to the Armenian media.

Presenting the bill, Deputy Justice Minister Grigor Minasyan said that the service will act as a special body under the Armenian prime minister.

The new body will not be considered military, which will allow it to be staffed with civilian specialists from various fields.

At the same time, a transitional period of three years will be established, during which the Defence Ministry, the National Security Service and other agencies performing foreign intelligence tasks will gradually transfer these functions to the new service.

"To do this, we will need to make sure that the new department is working effectively enough," Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.

The bill will be submitted to parliament as soon as possible.

In August last year, Pashinyan, presenting the government's program for 2021-2026, said that the authorities would form a Foreign Intelligence Service within five years.