The Prime Minister of the Republic will head the Security Council of Armenia

ArmInfo. The Prime Minister of the Republic will become the head of the Security Council of Armenia. The draft law "On the Formation and Activities of the Security Council" was adopted at the meeting of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia on March 7 in the second and final reading.

According to the First Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia Artur Hovhannisyan, it is planned to introduce new amendments to the new legislative regulation, both in the name of the body and in its composition. In particular, the president, the chairman of the National Assembly and the attorney general will not be part of the Security Council. The procedure for forming and functioning of the Security Council of Armenia, which is conditioned by the constitutional reforms of 2015, as well as the transition to a parliamentary form of government, will also be reviewed. Artur Hovhannisyan recalled that earlier the body was called the National Security Council and was an advisory body under the Armenian President. Under the new constitutional regulations, the Council becomes a state body headed by the head of government. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia conducts meetings of the Security Council, which signs the adopted decisions. The members of the Council have the right to submit their proposals on the agenda, as well as to demand from the local authorities the necessary documents related to security matters.

In addition to the Prime Minister, the Security Council will include the First Deputy Prime Minister, two Vice-Premiers, the Secretary of the Security Council, the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Director of the National Security Service, the Chief of Police, the Chief of the General Staff. The First Deputy Minister noted that the draft law stipulates that the Security Council determines the main directions of the defense policy. In addition, it is assumed that, at the suggestion of the prime minister, the Security Council will consider issues relating to security, territorial integrity and inviolability of state borders and to make advisory decisions on other issues within its competence. Decisions on issues related to defense are taken by 7 votes, the remaining issues by a simple majority.

Previously, the National Security Council of Armenia was headed by the president of the country. In 2015, amendments were made to the Constitution of Armenia and new provisions on the government were approved, in connection with the transition to a parliamentary form of government. Article 152 of the new Constitution states that the republic's Security Council will head the country's prime minister.