10-TH MEETING OF ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN INTERPARLIAMENTARY COMMISSION TO BE HELD IN MOSCOW IN OCTOBER
Pan Armenian News
17.05.2005 07:02
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The 9-th session of the Armenian-Russian
Interparliamentary Cooperation Commission finished in Yerevan. The
Commission is co-chairs by Vice-Speaker of the Armenian Parliament
Vahan Hovhannisian and member of the Russian Council of the Federation
Nikolay Ryzhkov, reported Regnum news agency. The Russian delegation
included 7 deputies of the State Duma, 4 Senators, a large delegation
of entrepreneurs from the Southern Federal Region. The agenda
included issues referring to the functioning of Armenian enterprises,
conveyed to Russia to pay off the state debt, as well as the economic
cooperation of Russian regions, specifically the Southern Federal
Region with Armenia. In the course of the final press conference
N. Ryzhkov noted that harsh discussion was held over the fate of the
Armenian enterprises, especially Mars plant and the three research
institutes. Mutual pretensions were expressed. In his words, the
issue is a political one. The parties stated there are some legal
issues that have to be solved by respective Russian ministries. In
the words of the Armenian Co-Chair Vahan Hovhannisian, in the course
of the session it turned out that Russian businessmen have serious
comprehension over the degree of liberty and monopoly in the Armenian
economy, which forms certain risks for investing and the presence of
Russian business at the Armenian market. The Armenian party promised to
inform the Russian party on the state of affairs at the local market,
having secured the information of the Anti-Monopoly Commission of
Armenia. Besides, in V. Hovhannisian’s words, the Armenian party has
proposed to consider the option of passing part of the shares of these
enterprises to private companies if the Russian state is not able to
secure orders and investments to these. At the same time, as noted by
Hovhannisian, these events mainly refer to the military industrial
complex and the Russian legislation does not provide for sending
orders of that kind to enterprises outside Russia. Within the context
of economic cooperation of subjects of the Russian Federation with
Armenia the parties touched upon communication problems, specifically
the ferry and railway communication. In Nikolay Ryzhkov’s words,
the Commission insists that the Kavkaz port-Poti ferry passage start
operating permanently on August 2005. He also informed that the ferry
was only launched as a trial lately. At that Ryzhkov stated that under
the conditions of absence of railway communication between Armenia
and Russia Armenian entrepreneurs have found alternative ways for
exporting and importing goods, specifically through Iran, Ukraine,
Romania and Bulgaria. “It formed a certain price policy and it is
difficult to turn it back, however it is necessary, we have the task
of loading the ferry, to provide it with cargo,” he noted. Ryzhkov
also emphasized that it is necessary to provide for the political
solution of the available problems to resume the rail communication
via Abkhazia. The parties agreed to hold the 10th sitting of the
Armenian-Russian Interparliamentary Commission in Moscow in October,
2005 and to discuss humanitarian issues, specifically education
and science problems. It should be noted that the sitting of the
Association of the Armenian-Russian Business Cooperation (ARADES)
will be held in Yerevan today.