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The new mechanisms applied in 2017 allowed the Armenian parliament to use the existing resources more effectively in 2018, outgoing Chief of Staff of the National Assembly Ara Saghatelyan told reporters on Friday.

The staff of the parliament saved 114,000 liters of petrol last year, storing it for 2019. In total, the staff saved 404 million drams in 2018.

“We are leaving a large amount of property to the next staff to exploit,” Saghatelyan said.

“When I was appointed chief of staff, we had obligations regarding electricity. I was forced to bring 50-60 used computers from the presidential staff and the Central Bank, which is not quite normal in management terms, but we needed those computers,” he noted.

Saghatelyan highlighted the technical updating of the parliament’s press service as a key achievement of his tenure.

He says the staff currently includes 726 employees, including the lawmakers.

Speaking about leaving the office, he stressed “Armenia’s political culture has not reached a point when you can stay and work as a chief of staff with a different team. I think I should leave with the team I have come with.”

Saghatelyan stressed they did their best to keep the parliament staff out of politics, which was not an easy task.

“I believe that my team has created adequate conditions that the person who will replace me has the appropriate base to continue the development,” he added.