Emin Yeritsyan says system of local-self governance changed mentality

YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS:

The year of 2011 is triple anniversary year for Armenia: this year Armenia marks the 20th anniversary of its independence, 10th anniversary of its membership to the Council of Europe and 15th anniversary of applying the self-governmental system.

"Sometimes people form a wrong opinion that before 1996 we did not have local self-governance", chairman of the Union of Communities of Territorial Administration Ministry Emin Yeritsyan said, noting that wherever there are bilateral relations, local self governance appears. "During the past 15 years we were just living in a new system, more coordinated one", he explained, adding that currently there is a state and 915 communities – all independent. "If previously the central authorities were interfering into the activity of the local self-governmental bodies, if a citizen was recognizing the governor, mayor, minister, president as his/her supervisor, currently the mentality has changed making the local self-governmental bodies independent", he said.

Yeritsyan said the institutes for the reinforcement of the system have already been formed but there is still work to do be done in respect of democracy.