Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a consultative meeting to discuss the process of introducing a new catering system in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia. The meeting was attended by Minister of Defense David Tonoyan, Deputy Minister Makar Ghambaryan, representatives of the business entities engaged in the supply of food products to the Armed Forces, and other stakeholders.

“As agreed, today we will discuss issues concerning the new order of food supplies to our army. Why do we discuss this issue so often? We discuss it because we attach great importance to this process. It is extremely important for the government to ensure that the process proceeds as smoothly as possible, and comes to successful completion, because it is a revolutionary change in the Armed Forces, which I believe will make military service more attractive and will improve the image of our army with all ensuing consequences.

However, it seems to be obvious that such large-scale reforms need close follow-up and strict monitoring so that we could keep abreast and trace the changes throughout the process. This issue stands high on the agenda of the ongoing discussions with the Minister of Defense, which are crucial in terms of advancing the process in a natural way and abiding by the proposed timetable,” the Premier said at the outset of the meeting.

The Minister of Defense reported on current status of the new catering system, noting that it has already been introduced in about three dozen military units. Four private entities are involved in the pilot food supply program, the number of which will continue to grow next year. Noting that he had received quite positive feedback from the military in connection with the pilot program, the Minister touched on the problems faced in providing catering services and outlined the proposed solutions.

The Prime Minister highlighted the need for ensuring transparency in the process and supplying high-quality food products to the Armed Forces. He stressed that any abuse should be ruled out: the approach will be very tough in case of abuse.

“This is an unprecedented process. Given the social component of the program, our approach should be as transparent as possible. We consider it a priority and we must be extremely honest in dealing with army catering issues in order to provide high-quality food to our soldiers,” Nikol Pashinyan emphasized.

The Premier told those responsible to consistently address the problems and implement the program in a timely manner.