Leader of the opposition Bright Armenia Party Edmon Marukyan informed on his Facebook page that he has addressed a letter to acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan with the recommendation to reinstate the Ministries of Agriculture and Culture.

“When amendments were being made to the Law of Armenia on the Structure and Activities of the Government in 2019, Bright Armenia parliamentary faction had presented an alternative structure of the government in order to maintain the Ministries of Agriculture and Culture, taking into consideration several major factors. However, the proposals weren’t accepted. Time showed that the absence of these ministries entail stagnation of several issues.

Absorbing the Ministry of Agriculture into the Ministry of Economy meant de facto downsizing of the Ministry of Agriculture, and this subordinated the role of agriculture in Armenia — a field that has always had and has an extremely great significance and a rather significant weight in the GDP in the country. Moreover, now it is possible to reserve the powers of the Food Safety Inspection Body for the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Ministry of Culture shouldn’t have become a department or have another status and incorporated into another ministry since Armenia needs to have a strong Ministry of Culture that will be capable of coordinating the issues of Armenia during cultural wars. It is also appropriate to recall that the features of cultural life have been one of the pillars for preservation of the Armenian national identity in all times,” the letter reads.