REGULAR SITTING OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BEGINS

National Assembly
April 29 2009
Armenia

On April 27, the regular sitting of the National Assembly was begun
with the enshrinement of the drafts of the decision of the National
Assembly on special order of the debates of a number of laws on the
agenda of the four-day sittings on making addenda to the agenda of
the fifth session of the fourth convocation.

During the debate of the agenda of the four-day sittings, Mr. Armen
Martirosyan, Ms. Larisa Alaverdyan and Mr. Styopa Safaryan,
representatives of the heritage faction of the National Assembly,
considering urgent the necessity of the debates, related to the present
developments of Armenian – Turkish relations, turned to Mr. Hovik
Abrahamyan, President of the National Assembly for the issue to be
included on the agenda of the four-day sittings, and opportunity to
be given to the political forces of the parliament to express their
views on that very important issue.

To the response of the questions, Mr. Hovik Abrahamyan, President of
the National Assembly, said that the National Assembly is a tribune
of plurality. He proposed to touch upon the issue later, when the
issue is debated with the factions and would be decided when and how
to touch upon that issue. He said that no need to be worried and take
measures in haste and stressed that he is for constructive debates.

The National Assembly adopted by voting, debated during the previous
sitting, the bills on Making Amendments and Addenda to the Law of
the Republic of Armenia on Obligatory Copy of the Documents and on
Making Amendments and Addenda to the Law of the Republic of Armenia
on Citizens who have not complied with the Obligatory Military Service
through the Breach of the Defined Order.

Presenting the view of the Heritage faction on the debated issue,
Ms. Larisa Alaverdyan, Member of Parliament, the privileges given to
the Armenians in Javakh in educational area considered admissible. The
issue would have its productive solution only when Armenian- Georgian
University would be launched in Javakh. In this aspect the Member of
Parliament considered more admissible the Government submitted view.

Mr. Armen Ashotyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Science,
Education, Culture, Youth and Sport of the National Assembly,
presented the legislative package, proposing amendments to the law
on TV and Radio and to the attached three laws, proposing it to be
debated through the second reading.

Ms. Naira Zohrabyan, co-author of the bill touched upon the functions
of the National Commission on TV and Radio.

Ms. Anahit Bakhshyan, co-author of the package, presented the
conclusion of the leading committee, related the issue. She said that
there was a necessity of adopting a new law.

The initiative of the Government on Making Amendment and Addendum to
the RA Law on Approving the List of Goods Imported by Organizations
and Solitary Entrepreneurs under 0 Customs Rate and not Subject to
Excise Taxation for which Customs Authorities shall not Accrue and
collect VAT was directed to increase the fuel of aviation.

Mr. Vardan Ayvazyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Economic
Affairs of the National Assembly, presented the endorsement of the
committee on the issue. Mr. Armen Martirosyan, Head of the Heritage
faction expressed concern that the shady circulation of the aviation
fuel should be increased through the amendment.

Mr. Hakob Hakobyan, Member of Parliament, presented his authorized
legislative initiative on Making Amendments to the Land Code of the
Republic of Armenia.

The Minister of Economy submitted for the second reading two agenda
issues on Making Amendment to the Law on State Duty and on Making
Amendments and Addenda to the Law on State Duty, which were not
essentially amended. According to Mr. Vardan Ayvazyan, the committee
on Economic Affairs endorsed the draft.

Mr. Mkrtich Minasyan’s authorized bill on foreseeing Amendment to
the law on Psychiatric Service was also not amended after the first
reading. Mr. Karen Avagyan, presented the endorsement on the bill of
the Standing Committee on Health Care of the National Assembly.

Mr. Pavel Safaryan, Deputy Minister of Finance, submitted for the
second reading the draft on Peculiarities of Forming the State Draft
Budget for 2010 of the Republic of Armenia. Mr. Styopa Safaryan,
member of the faction, in his speech assessed the Government this
initiative. The leading committee endorsed the issue.

At the end of the sitting Ms. Arevik Petrosyan, Vice President of
the National Assembly, informed the Members of Parliament on three
statements of the members of the ARF faction. Leaving the authority
coalition, applications for resignation were presented by Mr. Hrayr
Karapetyan, Vice President of the National Assembly, Mr. Armen
Rustamyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations
of the National Assembly and by Mr. Artur Aghabekyan, Chairman of
the Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and Internal
Affairs of the National Assembly. Ms. Petrosyan said that according
to the Law of the Republic of Armenia on the Rules of Procedure of
the National Assembly, if, after the announcement of resignation,
the applications on resignation are not taken back by the applicants
within three days, then their resignations are recognized valid.