Armenian Emergency Situations Minister Felix Tsolakyan is against the idea of merging his department with the Police, the minister told reporters on Friday.

According to him, the Emergency Situations Ministry and the Police had different functions.

“The police have punitive functions, while the Armenian Emergency Situations Ministry has humanitarian ones,” he said.

He also noted that since 1992, the Ministry of Emergency Situations has not received technical assistance from the state, and 90% of the equipment received through humanitarian aid. In case of merging the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Police, humanitarian assistance is excluded.