Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended the launching ceremony of the Police Guard of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The Prime Minister, accompanied by the Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan, first got acquainted with the technical equipment of the Police Guard, new weapons that meet international standards.

Representatives of legislative and executive bodies, ambassadors accredited to Armenia were also present at the event.

The Prime Minister congratulated those present and thanked the Guard's servicemen for the service they have performed so far: "We bow to all those police officers who fell for the sake of the Motherland. Today we are laying the foundation for a completely new service, and this is an important emphasis. In other words, we are not transforming the Police forces into the Police Guard, but today we have created the Police Guard. Of course, the path we have traveled and the history are with us, they are valuable to us, but from today we are opening a new page in history and our expectation is that the Police Guard will be a qualitatively new service for both the Republic of Armenia, its citizens, and its employees. And, of course, this is an important stage for the reforms of the Police and the Ministry of Internal Affairs system.

I want to emphasize that during this period, our experience of reforms shows us that all thoughts and ideas about summing up and completing reforms are inappropriate, because reform is something that never ends, because the moment we record that we have completed the reform, it means that we have begun to regress.” According to Nikol Pashinyan, it is necessary to start the service and work of the Police Guard with this attitude, taking into account that reform is a continuous process and it is necessary to stop from time to time, look, summarize what has been done and plan, replan, and review strategies.

The Prime Minister noted that the successful progress of the path of reforms is evidenced by the fact that new layers, new nuances, new realities are being revealed that were not visible and were unfamiliar before.

In this regard, the Prime Minister emphasized that today in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in the Police Service, and in general in the life of the Republic of Armenia, new realities are opening up for everyone. "Sometimes these realities are surprising to us, sometimes these realities bring new agendas to us, but sometimes we begin to wonder about to what extent we will be able to serve these agendas, because they are big and unexpected agendas. But if we see this reality, it means that we have moved forward, that is, we have crossed the line and are on a completely different path. And our path continues, and the more new realities we see on that path, it means that we have moved further forward on that path."

Once again thanking the Police Guard officers for their service in the past period, the Prime Minister wished everyone success and noted: “May serving in the Police Guard be more honorable with each month, more comfortable with each month, and may the social guarantees of the Police and Police Guard officers in general continue to develop, so that the Police Guard officer knows that he is adequately paid for his service. And we will develop this process, interrelated with the individual, service, and professional qualities of each one. And this is a path that we are passing and that we must pass together.

I want to wish all of us to see more new and pleasant realities on this path, which will mean that we are moving forward, developing, and taking the path that we are obliged to take for the sake of the Republic of Armenia.”

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The Police Guard, which is one of the four pillar directions of the Police, will contribute to the strengthening of the internal security system of Armenia through a more addressed and targeted set of tools. Equipped with new weapons and trained personnel that meet international standards, the Police Guard will be entrusted with maintaining public order and ensuring public security. The Police Guard will operate as a full-fledged structure, not being the successor to any police department.

The main tasks of the Police Guard are: maintaining public order and ensuring public security, protecting objects of paramount importance subject to state protection, as well as ensuring the safety of the transportation of special cargo, ensuring the legal regime of martial law and the legal regime of a state of emergency, as well as participating in the protection of the population in emergency situations, assisting in ensuring the security of persons subject to special state protection, and assisting the bodies conducting criminal proceedings.

With the formation of the Police Guard, a new standard in accordance with international standards for the use of force will come into force for the first time, regarding the cases, grounds, and conditions of proportionality for the use of physical force, special means, firearms, and special equipment. Without appropriate special training, a Guard employee will not have the right to use force.

The formation of the Police Guard is intended to further assist and make the exercise of the right to freedom of assembly more organized. The legislative initiative to create the structure has received a positive assessment from international experts: it is aimed at ensuring internal stability and solidarity.