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

The government approved the proposal submitted by the Supreme Judicial Council on June 30, 2021, to increase the number of judges. Accordingly, the first-instance court of general jurisdiction of Yerevan shall be staffed with 8 new judges with criminal specialization; the number of judges with criminal specialization at the first-instance court of general jurisdiction in each province shall be increased by one judge, and the judges of the Criminal Court of Appeal - by 3 judges. The relevant decision provides for the funds necessary to cover the expenses of 20 new judges.

In this connection, Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted that the increase in the number of judges should be considered as a means of meaningful reforms in the judicial system. “Just as the Patrol Service is recruiting individuals that used to have no ties with police activities, who can bring in new perspectives and new approaches in addition to the best police experience, we similarly want to achieve the same effect in the judicial system. And we hope that with these changes we will consolidate the best experience in the judicial system, on the other hand, we will bring a fresh look and fresh forces to the judicial system in order to finally have the judicial system of our dreams, which will be deemed as the embodiment of the idea of justice. This is the most important goal that we all pursue, therefore I consider this an extremely important decision which comes to complement the measures we implemented over the past few years,” Nikol Pashinyan said.

The government amended and supplemented one of its previous decisions to encourage the use of alternative financial instruments in the economy and the development of capital markets. An alternative source of financing in Armenia is the EU-Armenia SME Fund, managed by Amber Capital, which started its operations in January 2020.

As Deputy Minister of Economy Avag Avanesyan noted, the Fund has already attracted some USD 31 million. According to the Deputy Minister, the Dutch Development Bank (FMO) is prepared to invest USD 7 million, provided that following the investment the Fund has at least USD 45 million by July 20. FMO’s investment may have a multiplier effect as it will help attract other investors, which in turn, will lead to additional involvements in Armenia’s economy.

The Government of Armenia will contribute USD 3 million, with the remaining balance equivalent of USD 4 million to be invested by the State Interest Fund of Armenia.

The government next decided to increase the budget of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports by 335,078.4 thousand drams in 2021. These funds will be used to organize summer camp recreation for children of fallen or disabled servicemen and militiamen, as well as for orphans and children from low-income families.

The funds shall be made available to 7 organizations for organizing summer vacations for a group of beneficiaries by providing a grant without a competition. The camp is planned to be organized in 2 shifts, for 20 days, 1600 children per shift.