Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted signs of stagnation in the anti-corruption fight. Expressing deep dissatisfaction with the current results, the head of the government called for more decisive and systematic reforms, including at the level of local self-government.

During the briefing following the government session on March 26, Pashinyan emphasized that despite the significant progress recorded by international reports since 2018, alarming signs of stagnation have recently been observed. According to him, these indicators first of all testify to the need to continue the process of reforms. As an example of a systemic approach, the prime minister cited the introduction of a performance-based remuneration system, which, according to him, is a step leading to more decisive changes.

The head of the executive also pointed out the urgent need to root the “zero corruption” policy at the local government level. Pashinyan noted that although this issue was raised by him earlier, it remains unresolved until now. Admitting his disappointment with the current indicators, the Prime Minister added that while analyzing the causes of the created situation, he comes to the conclusion that sometimes the necessary political determination is not enough to advance the reforms. He concluded his speech with a call to demonstrate maximum consistency and uncompromising attitude in this matter.

The Prime Minister’s statements are directly consistent with the current assessments of international institutions. According to the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) published annually by Transparency International, after a noticeable increase in the first years following the 2018 change of government, Armenia’s indicators have really stagnated in the last few years, ranging from 46-47 points out of a possible 100. International experts attribute this stop to the weak practical implementation of already adopted anti-corruption strategies, and also emphasize the need to further strengthen the real independence and effectiveness of the judicial system and law enforcement agencies.

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