Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is traveling to Belgium, to Brussels, on November 3 on a working visit. In connection with the visit, the prime minister signed a decision approving the composition of the government delegation and the distribution of travel expenses.
The delegation includes Nikol Pashinyan, Melanya Harutyunyan, Karen Gasparyan, Armen Khachatryan, Sirun Hovsepyan, Alexander Abrahamyan, Arman Shahinyan, Tigran Mehrabyan, and Gevorg Galstyan. Under a separate clause, Armenia's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Belgium and Head of Armenia's Representation to the European Union Tigran Balayan, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, Vahan Kostanyan, Davit Ghambaryan, and Sona Ghazaryan were also included in the delegation.
While the prime minister is on the working trip, Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan will perform his duties. This is stated in the second clause of the decision, which refers to Part 5 of Article 7 of the Law on the Structure and Activity of the Government.
Most of the expenses fall to the state treasury, but they are distributed among various departments. The costs of per diems and the purchase of souvenirs for Pashinyan, Melanya Harutyunyan, Karen Gasparyan, Armen Khachatryan, Sirun Hovsepyan, Alexander Abrahamyan, Arman Shahinyan, Tigran Mehrabyan, and Gevorg Galstyan will be covered by the Prime Minister's Staff from the funds allocated for its maintenance.
The accommodation costs for the same individuals, as well as the delegation's representation and vehicle rental expenses, will be covered from the funds of the State Protocol Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Ararat Mirzoyan's and Vahan Kostanyan's expenses are covered by the Foreign Ministry, while Davit Ghambaryan's are covered by the State Protocol Service. According to the decision, Sona Ghazaryan's travel expenses will be covered from National Assembly funds.
The head of the Prime Minister's Staff has been instructed to organize a special flight on November 3 along the Yerevan-Brussels-Yerevan route. The chairman of the Civil Aviation Committee must assist in organizing that flight, and the flight expenses will be covered from the funds allocated for other services of a general nature under the "Provision of Aviation Services" measure of the "State Property Management" program of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure.
What is noteworthy in the decision is not so much the names as the logic of the expense distribution. Within the framework of a single working trip, the Prime Minister's Staff, the Foreign Ministry, the State Protocol Service, the National Assembly, and the Ministry of Territorial Administration separately cover different types of expenses—from per diems and souvenirs to accommodation and aircraft rental.
This is standard practice, but it is precisely such details that allow the reader to imagine how the state budget actually works. From a transparency perspective, it is good that each clause clearly states who pays for what.
The rest, as always, depends not on the text of the decision but on its implementation. For now, we see only obligations fixed on paper.
