Under the chairmanship of Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan, an inter-agency council meeting was held on May 25, during which the progress of the strategy to combat the non-medical use and illegal trafficking of drugs and psychotropic substances, as well as the action plan for 2025-2027, was discussed. This was reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The meeting was attended by the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, members of the inter-agency working group, and representatives of non-governmental organizations.
Implementation pace and departmental responsibility Arpine Sargsyan emphasized that the strategy combines components of public safety and public health for the first time. Despite progress recorded in several areas, the minister assessed the pace of implementation of the measures as unsatisfactory, stressing the need for full execution of the content. She demanded clarification of the expected results from each department according to the directions of problem-solving.
The council meeting specifically addressed the role of non-governmental organizations, noting that high initiative from NGOs is necessary to achieve the established goals.
Review of awareness formats It was noted that current public awareness measures do not yet fully meet the requirements of the strategy. By the minister's directive, the formats of awareness must be revised to make them multi-layered, practical, and accessible to various target groups, including the armed forces and closed institutions. Joint work between the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports is planned in this direction.
The process of developing the methodology for awareness will involve professional potential, particularly psychologists, for whom a specific deadline has been set.
Statistical analysis and logistical support The council decided to conduct a summarized statistical analysis of criminal cases related to illegal drug trafficking for 2025-2026 to assess their effectiveness. A deadline has also been set for this task. During the meeting, issues related to the material and technical support of law enforcement agencies were also discussed.
