FIS proposes granting the agency the right of direct access to state  secrets. Does this mean curbing the powers of Armenia`s NSS?

ArmInfo.Transferring the function of granting access to classified information to the Foreign Intelligence Service of Armenia (FIS) does not imply a reduction in the powers of the National Security Service (NSS).

This was stated by Nelly Manandyan, Head of the legal department of the NSS of Armenia, on September 6 during a meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on National Defense and Security.  As MP Gegham Manukyan noted at the meeting of the NA committee, after the publication of this initiative in the draft, many people were left with the impression that the authorities were intentionally reducing the powers of the NSS.

"The control functions of the NSS in the field of state secrets are not altered by this project. The FIS only resolves issues related to the state secret regime within the cope of its activities, particularly in its interactions with employees and organizations it collaborates with," the FIS representative explained.  Recall that earlier the State Security Service was removed from the NSS and placed directly under the Prime Minister's authority. At the start of the year, the Investigative Department of the NSS stopped its operations, with its responsibilities now falling under the jurisdiction of the Investigative Committee.  The decision to establish the Foreign Intelligence Service was made in 2022. The Service is led by Kristine Grigoryan, who previously served as the  Deputy Minister of Justice and was also the Ombudsman of Armenia.