PARLIAMENT CONVENES EXTRAORDINARY SESSION

National Assembly of RA
July 23 2009
Armenia

By the Government’s proposal and by the decision of the President
of the National Assembly on July 10, and by the initiator’s defined
order an extraordinary session was convened.

The National Assembly decided to adopt the bill on Education and the
attached package to it through a special order i.e. within 24 hours
after the second reading to debate the issue through the third reading.

The Members of Parliament adopted by voting, the educational package,
debated during the previous sitting.

By the defined order, Mr. Manuk Topuzyan, newly appointed member
of the Constitutional Court took his post by being sworn in by the
National Assembly.

The representatives of the executive submitted two international
treaties.

As presented by Mr. Armen Ashotyan, Minister of Education and Science
of the Republic of Armenia, through the first treaty, sums of money
will be allotted aiming to continue the reforms of the educational
system.

Mr. Hrayr Karapetyan, presented the view of the ARF faction. According
to him productive and purposeful investments are needed for the
economy during these conditions of economic crisis.

Mr. Hovik Abrahamyan, the President of the National Assembly of the
Republic of Armenia presented his view on the treaties in the debate.

"Dear Colleagues,

On June 5, 2009 a treaty on financing the second project of quality
and correspondence of Education between the Republic of Armenia and
International Development Company was sealed, through which a right
of special loan is allotted i.e. credit of 17,000.000 SDR.

In general, highlighting the role of education in formulating
economy, as well as to productively using the brains of our country,
I would like particularly to touch upon the conceptual part of the
agreement. It includes the general as well as the higher educational
systems. As you know the Republic of Armenia has joined the Bologna
Declaration and in the process of education reform managed to record
certain achievements. It is necessary for us that the reforms of
the general education of the recent years be in compliance with the
international standards and the knowledge and projects in higher
educational system of a comparable level with the best Universities
in the world. It is possible not only due to the invested sums but
also the international close cooperation, and the agreement gives
that opportunity.

I would like to remind you that the educational reform is the
important part of the second generation’s reforms, to be realized
in our country. It is commendable that the agreement enshrines not
only technical provisions of allotting financial resources, but also
a detailed developed schedule, which includes the coordination of
professional certain promotion. The productivity of management,
monitoring and assessment of the proposed projects, within the
framework of the ratified agreements is of great importance for
us; which with institutional and anti-corruption measures are the
components of the presented document.

As the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia
I will personally control not only the productivity of the above
mentioned agreement, but also will do my utmost for the establishment
of the relevant legislation, directed to the improvement of the
quality of education in our country. I highly praise the financial
and professional promotion of the International Development Company
and call you to ratify the financing agreement, signed between the
Republic of Armenia and the International Development Company.

Dear Colleagues,

The National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia is proposed to
ratify 202.400m credit. The agreement aims to finance the budget
of 2009-2010. I would like to remind that the agreement, subject
to ratification for the present crediting is one of the financing
foreign recourses of state budget.

Of course the received sum increases the general volume of the foreign
debt. But it is not a secret that in the conditions of financial crisis
inner financing for any country is not enough. More, the solution of
similar issue today is almost impossible even for the most developed
countries. It demands promotion of international institutions, as
well as financing promotion -credits of the Governments of foreign
states. We have already ratified a similar agreement in the National
Assembly. It is the Agreement between the Government of the Republic
of Armenia and Government of the Russian Federation on Allotting
Credit to Armenia – 5000m USD.

At the same time we made legislative Amendment to the Law of the
Republic of Armenia i. e. the correlation of budget deficit is
increased to 7,5% from 5% towards the general volume of the state
budget. Thus the financial volumes have increased.

I call on my colleagues to ratify the present agreement and express
hope that the Government will be able to productively use the allotted
foreign resources, as well as to find ways for increasing internal
financial resources.

I am confident that the financial situation created will be stabilized
step by step not only on the account of the foreign financial resources
but also on the account of increasing the incomes of state budget
and reducing the shady economy.

I think the submitted agreement that was signed as an exchange of
letters is the demand of the time and I urge my colleagues to endorse
it. I am confident that we should ratify the agreement and control
its realization."

Mr. Vardan Aramyan, Representative of the Government, Deputy Minister
of Finance, in his closing speech, answered the MPs’ questions and
touched upon the proposals.

The legislative package on General Education, on Making Amendments
to the Law of the Republic of Armenia on Education, on Making
Amendment to the Law of the Republic of Armenia on Value Added Tax,
on Making Amendment to the Law of the Republic of Armenia, on Making
Amendments to the Law of the Republic of Armenia on Licensing, on
Making Amendments to the Law of the Republic of Armenia on State
Inspectorate of Education and on Making Amendments to the Law of the
Republic of Armenia on State Duty was debated to be fully adopted for
the third reading, which was endorsed by the parliament through voting.

The MPs ratified by voting the Agreement on Quality of Education
(July 5,2009) and the Agreement (June 29, 2009, June 30, 2009.)

The extraordinary session of the National Assembly finished its work.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress