SOCIAL TASKS PRIORITY FOR ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT PREMIER STATES

ARKA
Apr 14, 2009

YEREVAN, April 14. /ARKA/. Social problems are of priority importance
for the RA Government, stated RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan.

"We will work to protect the socially vulnerable sections of the
population," he said at the conference on social impact of the global
economic crisis on Armenia.

The RA Premier said that, irrespective of the general financial
developments and of the developments inside Armenia, the social
expenditures must remain a priority and be protected.

"The matter concerns not only 114,000 socially vulnerable families
receiving benefits, but also the social system as a whole,"
T. Sargsyan said.

The RA Premier pointed out that this is the reason for the revision of
the 2009 budget and quarterly redistribution of on-budget expenditures.

On March 26, the RA Government decided on redistributing the 2009 state
budget and suspending the elaboration of a medium-term expenditure
program for 2010-2012.

"Considering the risks observed in the 1st quarter of this year,
we aimed to create a financial environment, which would protect the
social expenses on the one hand, and prevent debts on the other hand,"
Sargsyan said.

In this context, the RA Prime Minister said that the budgetary
financing of expenses will depend on further developments and tax
collection.

"We switched over to day-to-day budg etary management. On-budget
expenditures are specified on a quarterly basis, and social
expenditures will be the first to be protected," Sargsyan said.

On November 27, 2008, the Armenian approved the RA state budget
for 2009.

The budgeted revenues are 905bln AMD, expenditures 245bln AMD deficit
40bln AMD.