Armenia’s parliament approved Friday, February 19 the splitting of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations into two separate agencies – the Ministry of Territorial Administration and the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

According to Minister of Justice Arpine Hovhannisyan, the change was a political necessity, not requiring major costs.

The bill was agreed in the second and final reading by the ruling Republican Party and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation/ Dashnaktsutyun (ARF), which have recently formed a new coalition government.

The two ministries were merged into a single bureau in late 2014, headed by Armen Yeritsyan.

The ARF is said to get three ministerial portfolios and two gubernatorial posts.