ELECTED ON FEBRUARY 19 PRESIDENT SERZH SARKISYAN FORMS NEW GOVERNMENT OF ARMENIA
ITAR-TASS
April 22 2008
Russia
YEREVAN, April 22 (Itar-Tass) – Armenia has completed forming a new
republican government. President Serzh Sarkisyan, elected on February
19 and sworn-in on April 9, appointed all cabinet members. His
decrees were circulated by the presidential press service here on
Monday evening.
Changes in the structure and composition of the cabinet were caused by
the results of presidential elections in the republic, held on February
19. According to their results, the republic formed a quadripartite
government coalition, led by the Armenian Republican Party (ARP)
with the Armenian president at the head.
The coalition includes the centre-right Prospering Armenia Party,
making up (along with the ARP) the parliamentary majority, the
nationalist Dashnaktsutyun Party and the centre-right Orinats Erkir
(Country of Law) Party.
The Armenian government has new defence and foreign ministers. The
Defence Ministry is headed by Colonel-General Seiran Oganyan, 46,
former chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and first deputy
defence minister. The army remains to be in the centre of the state’s
attention, and serious tasks were put forth before the Armenian Armed
Forces, Sarkisyan noted.
The Foreign Ministry is headed by Edvard Nalbandyan, 52, who was
the Armenian ambassador to France and concurrently to Andorra,
the Holy See and Israel. "Armenia’s foreign policy should preserve
its complementary and centuries-old content in the coming years and
should turn more active and enterprising as well as should centre on
impressive results," the president claimed.
Armen Gevorkyan, 35, was appointed vice-premier and minister for
territorial administration. Starting from 1998, he was first assistant
to the president, in 2006 – head of the presidential office and since
last year – secretary of the Armenian National Security Council.
Armenia formed the Ministry for Emergencies which is headed by Mger
Shakhgeldyan, 41, M. Sc. (Politics). He represents the Ordinats
Erkir Party.
The Finance Ministry (previously called Ministry of Finance and
Economy) is led by Tigran Davtyan, 47. He worked as deputy minister of
trade and economic development between 2001-2007 and from last year –
executive director of the Armenian Development Agency.
The Ministry of Trade and Economic Development was renamed into
the Economics Ministry. It is headed as before by Nerses Yeritsyan,
37. The ministries of the economic group face the task of ensuring
unconditional beefing of the budget by raising tax collection and
luring investments into the economy.
Serzh Sarkisyan appointed Tigran Sarkisyan as republican prime
minister on his swearing-in day, April 9. The latter was chairman of
the Armenian Central Bank over the past decade. In compliance with the
Constitution, the premier will submit a programme of the government’s
activities to the national parliament within the next 20 days.
A presidential decree forms the State Committee on Relations with
the Diaspora at the republican Foreign Ministry. The new head of
state crusades for stepping up participation of Armenians abroad in
economic and social life of the republic as well as for a broad use
of Armenians’ potential all over the world for the development of
their historic homeland.
Former Armenian vice-premier Avik Abramyan heads the presidential
office.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress