Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that the new government and parliamentary majority intend to relaunch or update the entire package of democratic reforms. He made this statement at the opening of the two-day "Armenian Platform for the European Dialogue of Prosecutors," Armenpress reports.
Speaking at the ceremony, Pashinyan congratulated prosecutors on their professional holiday and noted that such international meetings help exchange experiences and improve the legal system.
"Law and rights are evolving, and the more we participate in international dialogue, the more effective we will be in fulfilling national expectations of justice and equality in Armenia," the prime minister said.
The main topic of the forum was the system of confiscation of illegally acquired property. According to Pashinyan, the public still misunderstands that this mechanism was created exclusively for investigations of former officials.
"I would like to take this opportunity to clarify an important misunderstanding: there is a widespread belief, and the reasons for this belief are clear, that the system and institution of confiscation of illegal assets are aimed at the activities of former officials or operate in this context. But let me say that this is a misunderstanding, because the system of confiscation of illegal assets is in fact one of the most important tools and means of the current anti-corruption fight. Therefore, current officials are receiving a signal that an unhealthy and illegitimate focus on assets is unsustainable, because from now on, it should be predictable what the institution of confiscation of illegal assets will bring and what its consequences will be," the Prime Minister explained.
He acknowledged that the authorities had hoped for more noticeable results from their anti-corruption policy and expressed concern that Armenia has experienced a slowdown in progress, including in international rankings.
"Of course, both the people and the government are somewhat impatient with the full implementation of the latter, but it is one of the most important pillars of the government and the ruling majority's anti-corruption policy. In this regard, I want to emphasize that for me, as Prime Minister, one of the most alarming facts is that we have reached a certain point of stagnation in anti-corruption policy, including in international rankings. This is truly alarming, and we simply cannot accept it, because it is crucial for us to demonstrate continuous, principled, and consistent progress in anti-corruption policy. The new government and parliamentary majority prioritize the process of relaunching or updating the entire package of democratic reforms," Pashinyan emphasized.
