Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated in the event dedicated to the launch of the Syunik regional division of the Police Patrol Service in Kapan city.

Minister of Internal Affairs Vahe Ghazaryan, Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Gnel Sanosyan, Director of the National Security Service Armen Abazyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Armenia Kristina Kvien, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia, Ambassador Vassilis Maragos, and other high-ranking officials were also present at the event.

The Prime Minister made a speech in which he particularly said,

"Dear Cabinet members,
Dear Ambassadors,
Dear representatives of state and local self-government bodies,
Dear police officers,
Dear residents of Kapan,

What we have been talking about for several years now is already a reality. Patrol Police is now a reality throughout the Republic of Armenia, and I want to congratulate everyone on this important occasion. In our first stop today, Armavir region, I said that this is a bright and obvious example of how ideas are formulated, turn into decisions, and are then implemented and reflected in real life.

Once again, I want to thank all those people, all those international partners who supported the establishment of the Patrol Police in Armenia and will support the Police reforms and the reform agenda in general.

I want to emphasize once again that the budget for the establishment of the Patrol Police is 29 billion AMD, of which 20 billion were allocated from the state budget of the Republic of Armenia, 6 billion from the United States of America, and 3 billion from the European Union.

I am glad that by summarizing the establishment of the Patrol Police, we do not end the process, we will continue both the Police reforms and the improvement of the Patrol Police.

We saw some very interesting statistics today. Of course, it turned out that Vayots Dzor became our only region where we do not have female officers in the Patrol Police, but I am glad that this statistic did not continue in Syunik region. Of course, we have just one female officer in the Patrol itself, but I see that there are more women in the operational management center. I want to wish you all good luck and say that the most important work in our next phase is to increase the number of women in the Patrol Police to at least 30 percent. We have said 30 percent in our strategies, but actually our intention is that the number of women and men serving in the Patrol Police should be 50-50.

Mrs. Lieutenant, I want to address you, I know that it will not be easy for you, especially given that you will be the only female representative of the external service. You can be sure that we fully support you. But I also want you to promise that you will overcome all difficulties and complications. Moreover, I don't want to say now that men should support you. I hope that you yourself will find your proper place in the Patrol Police with your service, but you should know that is more important not so much for yourself, but for those who are going to apply for courses in the near future and join the Patrol Police, including the divisions of Syunik and Vayots Dzor regions.

I also want to congratulate all of you on this important day. The composition of the participants tells how important an event we are taking part in. And we must also record that the Patrol Police is, in fact, the most mature service in Armenia. You are in every neighborhood, you are in every city, you are in every village, you are on every highway. People will turn to you first when they need help. People will contact you first when they have a problem. It is very important for each of you to record that you are the face of the Republic of Armenia, the portrait of the Republic of Armenia, because you are the ones who will communicate with the citizens the most, and the citizens will communicate with you the most. Moreover, this contact does not necessarily have to be direct. People everywhere see you, your work, hear feedback about your work, and finally get an idea of the Police, the Patrol Police, and the processes taking place in the Republic of Armenia.

I want the Patrol Police to be principled, to be law-abiding and to remember that the number one goal of police reforms is to protect the rights, dignity and freedom of the citizens of the Republic of Armenia.

In the rating published at the beginning of this year, the Republic of Armenia ranks among the top three dozen in the list of the world's leading countries in terms of citizens' freedom. According to another rating published recently, Armenia is the 9th country in the world in terms of the criminal situation, that is, in terms of daily security issues, and this is when the Patrol Police was not yet fully established, not operational, when the police reforms and other reforms are not completed yer. I am sure that we will move confidently along this path.

I also thank our international partners for their commitment to continue supporting the Republic of Armenia in general, the reform agenda and the establishment and development of democracy, rule of law, and freedom in the Republic of Armenia.

Dear attendees,
Dear Patrol Police officers,

I summarize with satisfaction the establishment of the Patrol Police in the Republic of Armenia. I wish you all an efficient, honest, principled, state-centered and people-centered service.

I wish success to the Patrol Police of the Republic of Armenia.

Glory to the martyrs and long live the Republic of Armenia."