A Cabinet meeting was held today, chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Before discussing the agenda, Nikol Pashinyan made a statement: “It will soon be 100 days our government has been in office. On this occasion, I would like to state that we have tackled the key problem: we ensured the country’s normal functioning and sustained economic development in the post-revolutionary period. And I think that after the 100-day period, we will usher in a new stage of development, which implies stepping up the process of reforms in order to reinvigorate the country, the economy, and outline clear-cut perspectives and results in the context of budget discussions.

I hope that the content and energy, accumulated during these 100 days, the results of which will be summed up at tomorrow’s rally due to be held in the Republic Square, will give us the opportunity to address such new challenges as the citizens of the Republic of Armenia, the Armenian nation nay set before the Government. And there is no doubt that we will solve those issues efficiently: the final victory of the Armenian people and the Republic of Armenia is inevitable.”

The Executive decided to shorten the term of office of the Yerevan Council of Elders. Snap City Council elections shall be held on the day announced by the Central Electoral Commission.

The decision provides that the Government will earmark money from the Reserve Fund for that purpose. RA Minister of Territorial Administration and Development Suren Papikyan advised that the Central Electoral Commission will announce the day of extraordinary elections in Yerevan within 30-40 days after the publication of the given decision.

In this connection, Prime Minister Pashinyan noted, “We are going to hold an important election like that for the first time during our government’s term in office. I hope that all of us realize that the election should be exceptional in terms of lawfulness, transparency and fairness. It is a priority for us to ensure the freedom of choice, democracy and legality. I want to emphasize once again that the problems are very clear. The fraud squads have anything to do with these elections. Should it turn out that they have something to do, the law enforcement agencies will have to respond quickly, rapidly and efficiently.

No electoral bribe should be handed out in this election, otherwise anyone involved in fraud should be held accountable. Any unlawful influence on the citizens’ freedom of choice should be ruled out, and this is the responsibility of our government.

Of course, I am convinced that things will go this very way, Nevertheless, I hope that no one - I mean the well-known groups - will be tempted to take a chance. The law of the Republic of Armenia clearly states what the law enforcement authorities and the State agencies should do in such an event.”

The Government decided to allocate money to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a view to implementing the preparations for the 17th Summit of Francophone States and Governments in Armenia. The reference note states that to this end, AMD 1,438,354.5 thousand has been allocated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2018.

After the draft budget presented by the Ministry of Finance, in cooperation with the Secretariat of the International Organization of La Francophonie and the representatives of the French Agences Publiques Group, several amendments were made in the summit program related to the format of 84 countries’ participation. The estimated expenditures may go up as additional costs will be needed for holding the Congress of Francophone Journalists (covering the summit and related events by about 300 other journalists), setting up and commissioning the Francophone Town, the construction and technical equipment of a gala concert platform in the Republic Square, and funding the preparations for the Francophone Economic Forum.

Answering the Prime Minister’s question, the Foreign Minister noted: “We are absolutely convinced that the ongoing preparations will ensure the proper conduct of the Summit. I would like to thank all our coordinating partners. We already have a considerable number of participation confirmations. There is tangible progress in terms of content. We are sure to ensure the Summit’s effectiveness in terms of content as we have all the necessary resources and capabilities.”

RA Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan noted that weekly meetings are being held as part of preparations for the Francophonie Summit. “We are going to host an unprecedented event attended by heads of dozens of countries,” the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.