YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 22, ARMENPRESS. The government will create a State Forest Committee Staff under the ministry of nature protection.

The charter and structure of the staff was approved during today’s Cabinet meeting.

The new entity will deal with preservation of special territories and sustainable management of forests.

Nature protection minister Artsvik Minasyan told reporters that the President of Armenia had earlier ordered the creation of a forestry committee, and the charter and structure of this committee has been approved during today’s Cabinet meeting as well.

The minister said a new forest protection service will be introduced soon. “The purpose of it is to have a 24/7 on duty patrol service”, he said.

The service will be vested with the power and authority to exercise administrative measures – prohibit, prevent, to temporarily detain suspects in case of illegal logging or illegal hunting, confiscate firearms etc.

English –translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan