DISCUSSION OF 2004 ANNUAL REPORT OF RA STATE BUDGET STARTS AT NATIONAL
ASSEMBLY

YEREVAN, MAY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. On May 26, the RA National Assembly
started to discuss the 2004 annual report of the RA state budget,
which was presented by RA Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy,
Chief Treasurer Atom Janjughazian. 10 deputies from the faction
Republican Party of Armenia, 3 from “Orinats Erkir” and 3 from
“People’s Deputy” were present on the floor during the presentation of
the report. When answering the reporters’ questions, RA Prime Minister
Andranik Margarian was unwilling to define the sitation as an open
boycott of the government. According to him, prior to putting the
report on the agenda, preliminary discussions were held on it at the
joint meetings of the NA standing committees, at which deputies had an
opportunity to familiarizes themseleves with the report and put their
questions to the government members. For this reason probably they did
consider it necessary to hear again the rapporteur for 45 miniutes. “I
fulfil the requirements of the law and submit the report to NA,
irrespective of how many people are going to hear it,” Prime Minister
said. According to him, it is the deputies who should be more worried
about such a state of affairs. “I am in charge of the fulfilment and
presentation of the budget, but not its hearing and assessment, while
the National Assembly, in my opinion, makes its assessment by voting
rather then by hearing it,” A. Margarian noted. Commenting, at the
request of reporters, on the Azerbaijani President I. Aliyev’s recent
statement that the profit to be received from Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline
will be used to increase the country’s military expenditure, Prime
Minister said the government will make the conclusions in forming the
2006 budget.