Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended the combat relay competition held within the framework of the Army Games in Tavush Province. Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, First Deputy Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Edward Asryan, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Karen Giloyan also followed the competition.

The contestants are among the best because they have gone through a difficult preselection path, demonstrating their willpower, professionalism and athletic skills to the maximum.

The teams of the Ministries of Defense, Internal Affairs, Justice, National Security Service, State Revenue and Investigative Committees, Prosecutor's Office and State Protection Service participate in the military games, which compete in several competitions for about a week.

In the combat relay competition, the Ministry of Defense team took the first place, the Police team took the second place, and the NSS team took the third place.

After the competitions, the Prime Minister welcomed the participants, thanked everyone for their participation and congratulated the winners. "It is a very important tournament and we need to develop it. Next year we will expand the number of participating teams, we hope there will be a bigger army of fans, because we saw that their presence is important, they were very encouraging. Also, next year we will create conditions for the participants to spend a few days in Dilijan with their family members, and they may also come and cheer their teams," said Nikol Pashinyan.

The Prime Minister referred to the goals of organizing such competitions. "First, we want to emphasize once again the importance of our physical and psychological preparation as a society and state. Second, we want those officers who have special qualities to have an additional incentive in addition to money. Why wouldn't his fellow soldiers know he is the best of the best? There should also be a monetary incentive, which can be an addition to the social guarantees along with the certification. I am very happy that now we are in a situation where, in fact, there is a process of at least doubling salaries in all our law enforcment bodies, of course, in the Investigative Committee and the Prosecutor's Office by 92 percent, but this is also normal, considering that the base in those two structures was relatively higher.

Of course, there are some structures where the certification has not yet started in full force, but for us and for me personally, it is very important that our employees who provide service to the Republic of Armenia, especially the military and close to the military, who work in the field of law enforcement, have a certain social minimum threshold. In most cases, when we look at salaries, it is simply a discomfort for the Government in the first place that people providing such services are paid such low salaries.

But on the other hand, we formulate the issue in a different way. yes, we put a task to at least double the salary, but the state and the public must also be convinced that these employees have a certain quality benchmark, below which they definitely do not fall.

And here, with the army games, those who are above that quality benchmark, they can have the title of the best of the best, which, I think, personally, in the team, and in the family is pleasant and is an additional incentive," the Prime Minister noted.

Nikol Pashinyan once again thanked everyone and wished success.

The closing ceremony of the Army Games will take place on August 27.