YOUNG MEMBER OF RPA ARMEN ASHOTIAN TO HEAD ONE OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY STANDING COMMITTEES
Noyan Tapan
Se p 9, 2008
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, NOYAN TAPAN. Armen Ashotian, a member of the NA
"Republican Party of Armenia" (RPA) faction, was elected chairman
of the National Assembly Standing Committee of Science, Education,
Culture, Youth Issues and Sports on September 8. During a secret
ballot, 74 out of 82 NA deputies voted for him – the only nominated
candidate, 5 voted against, and 3 voting papers were recognized
as invalid.
Noting in his speech that the Standing Committee of Science,
Education, Culture, Youth Issues and Sports is the most successful
and well operating one of the parliamentary standing committees,
A. Ashotian at the same time pointed out the problems that exist in
these spheres. In his words, as the head of the standing committee he
will give priority to education, in which there are numerous problems
concerning all the links – from the preschool to higher educational
one. He said that even state universities do not show a state approach
to the problem of training experts necessary for economy. A. Ashotian
underlined the necessity of increasing the role of applied science
for developing the country’s economy. The newly-elected chairman
of the committee also spoke about the necessity to solve the mass
media-related problems jointly with journalistic organizations and
to review the status of religious organizations.
To recap, the post of the chairman of the NA Standing Committee of
Science, Education, Culture, Youth Issues and Sports was vacant after
the appointment of its former chairwoman Hranush Hakobian as the head
of the MFA State Committee of the Diaspora.