YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. A Cabinet meeting was held today, chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the PM’s Office told Armenpress.

The Government approved the proposal to sign the Support for Judicial Reform in Armenia: Stage I financing agreement between the Republic of Armenia and the European Commission. The program’s total cost is EUR 30 million. 3 million euros will be used to provide technical assistance (mainly consultancy); the balance of 27 million will go to the State Budget in three equal installments to ensure the implementation of the general and special conditions stipulated in the agreement. The program seeks to facilitate the implementation of the ongoing judicial reform in Armenia.

The Government next approved a proposal to sign the COVID-19 Armenia Response funding facility between the Republic of Armenia and the European Commission. 30 million euros will be available to the National Treasury in the form of direct non-targeted budget support. The program seeks to bolster Armenia’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak, mitigate the pandemic’s adverse impact on the healthcare and socio-economic sectors.

Touching upon the aforementioned decisions, Prime Minister Pashinyan highlighted the ongoing cooperation with the EU in the context of democratic reforms. He dwelt on Armenia’s foreign policy agenda, noting that a Russian analytical center had published a study, referred to as “Russia’s Allies.” Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan stated in this connection: “The study rates Armenia too high in the context of Russia’s allied relations.”

The Head of Government advised that the second stage of the U.S.-Armenia Strategic Dialogue will start soon. “We hope that there will be no restrictions whatsoever due to COVID-19. Here, I would like to emphasize that while structured in a seemingly unusual manner, the relations with our partners are developing quite effectively, and we will be consistent on this path. The EU, Russia and the USA are important partners for us. Yerevan is due to host an EAEU Intergovernmental Council meeting in the near future. We maintain extensive intercourse with neighboring Iran. We boast traditionally warm relationship with Georgia. These priorities will be strengthened ahead based on our foreign policy vision, which implies some nuances. We will deepen our relations with all our partners, and the above two decisions come to testify to this,” the Prime Minister said.

The Government amended one of its previous decisions in an effort to effectively implement the community roads improvement program in line with the Prime Minister’s instructions. The decision suggests considering the improvement of non-transit roads of local importance as ongoing activities and include them in the list of low-risk projects (category I) as approved by the Government of Armenia, for which no construction permit shall henceforth be required.

Touching on the decision, Nikol Pashinyan stressed that the quality of rural roads of local importance has been discussed for a long time now. “To my deep regret, many streets are in a decrepit state in our villages. This is at odds with our strategic vision of changing the quality of life in rural communities,” the Premier said, noting that simplified procedures will help make the process more efficient.