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The adoption of the draft law is conditioned by the necessity of ensuring continuity of the activity of the Foreign Ministry, the rise of efficiency, ensuring the laws prescribed by the Constitution with authorizing norms, as well as harmonizing with legislation on public service: The RA Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan during the debate of the at the NA regular sitting on December 7.

Touching upon the amendments the Deputy Minister noted that it is proposed to make the position of the Secretary General of the Foreign Ministry being considered diplomatic service position as civil service position.

According to the rapporteur, that after the constitutional amendments in 2018 sub-legislative normative legal acts are proposed by the law to the bodies prescribed by the Constitution. There is a need to set by the law the authority of appointing, releasing the attachés/representatives working in the body enclosed to the RA diplomatic service, the job creation in the foreign states.

Mnatsakan Safaryan underlined that relevant employees from the RA Prime Minister’s Staff and the state government system, in exceptional cases, from other bodies for the state security or protection of the rights, freedoms and security of the citizens of the Republic of Armenia can be sent to a business trip in case of the agreement between the Foreign Ministry and the mentioned bodies.

The draft law proposes to grant the diplomat extraordinary – higher diplomatic degree with one or two degrees on the basis of the conclusion made Competitive-Attestation Commission for serious successes and impeccable work in the service in exceptional cases. “The availability of this toolset will give an opportunity to the diplomats to have advancement during the service,” the Deputy Minister added.

He also informed that amendments of technical character were also made in the draft law, and some regulations were complied with the provisions set out by the legislation on Public Service.

The deputies addressed questions to the main rapporteur, which referred to making the position of the Secretary General of the Foreign Ministry as diplomatic service position, the Foreign Ministry-Embassies cooperation.

The co-rapporteur, the Chair of the NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Sargis Khandanyan noted in his speech that the draft is aimed at harmonizing, differentiating, setting authorizing norms and called on the deputies to vote the draft law.

The National Assembly passed the draft law in the first reading. The bill will be debated within 24 hours.