Terms of diplomats’ service and remuneration procedure for diplomat spouses to be changed under proposed bill

The proposed amendments envisage the legal regulation of the establishment of diplomatic offices. According to the initiative, there are countries where, from a financial or other standpoint, it is not expedient to open a full-fledged embassy, yet there remains a need for diplomatic representation. Accordingly, it is proposed to establish diplomatic offices in such locations, to be headed by the Armenian ambassador accredited to that country.
 
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan announced this during the extraordinary session of the National Assembly convened on May 11, presenting in the first reading the draft laws “On Amendments to the Law on Diplomatic Service,” “On Amendments and Additions to the Law on Public Service,” as well as “On Amendments and Additions to the Law on Remuneration of Persons Holding State Positions and State Service Positions.”
 
The proposal also envisages revising the terms of office for ambassadors and permanent representatives, while allowing ambassadors to continue serving in the country of accreditation for a maximum period of five years. After that, an ambassador may be reappointed to another country, in which case the maximum term of service is proposed to be extended to eight years.
 
Under the new regulation, diplomats will be required to return to Armenia after serving abroad and work at the Foreign Ministry, though the required period will be reduced from 24 months to 18 months, after which they will again be eligible for assignment to a foreign country. For consuls general, the period of work at Armenia’s Foreign Ministry will be reduced from 18 months to 12 months, while the term of service abroad will increase from two years to three years.
 
Another regulation concerns the salaries of diplomat spouses. “There are diplomat spouses in the system, and when diplomat spouses are assigned abroad for service, under the current regulation one of them receives only 50 percent of their salary. This is an outdated and absurd regulation. If both diplomats perform their duties and work at 100 percent, it is quite fair that both receive 100 percent of the remuneration due to them,” the minister said.
 
Another proposed amendment envisages equalizing the salaries of diplomats serving abroad with those of diplomats serving in Yerevan. In this context, the minister cited the example of a first secretary. According to him, a first secretary serving at the Foreign Ministry in Yerevan receives a salary ranging from AMD 267,000 to 366,000, whereas a first secretary serving abroad receives between AMD 157,000 and 178,000, which, according to Mirzoyan, sharply reduces the attractiveness of foreign service.