1 / 1

On November 6, the RA NA President Ara Babloyan made welcoming remarks in the 2^nd Working Meeting of the Secretaries General of Parliamentary Administrations of the Eastern Partnership Countries.

Ara Babloyan highlighted the holding of the event in the RA National Assembly. The Head of the Parliament thanked his Georgian colleagues, the Secretary General of the Parliament of Georgia for initiating this platform, as well as the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation) for supporting the programmes directed to strengthening of the parliaments’ capacities. The RA NA President noted in his speech:

“I am glad that a large scale of cooperation has been created between the Parliament of the Republic of Armenia and the Parliamentary Administrations of the Eastern Partnership Countries.

As you know, the parliament is one of the main institutes of democracy, and its work will be impossible without the Administration providing the parliament’s activities. Besides, the Parliamentary Administration has an important role in providing the continuous and consistent work of the legislative body, and it is not accidental that the Administration is considered the institutional memory of the Parliament.

The MPs are permanently changed, and the new ones are coming, and part of them – for the first time. Their main support should become the very Administration. The newly elected MPs, beginning their activities should be sure that they have such a support that would provide their main activities, The role and the importance of the Administration, of course, are not limited with this. We, the MPs, after being elected during the whole term of our tenure, rely on the very Administration, and how high is the Administration, so little are our working concerns.

And because of that the RA NA Chief of Staff-Secretary General highly assessed the functions of the Administrations, as well as the obligations of heading and developing the Parliamentary Administrations by the Secretaries General.

The Republic of Armenia made a transition to the parliamentary system of government in 2015, which supposes the essential increase of the parliament’s role, authorities and obligations. The functions of the Parliament were considerably changed, the oversight function towards the government has been increased in it, and it will be impossible to implement such an important function without professional Administration.

In this context we have begun, and we successfully continue the development of the capacities of the Staff of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, which was accompanied by the specification of the functions in the Staff, the establishment of the new obligations and the structural reforms. Within the framework of those reforms the biggest programme, in my opinion, is the initiative of the creation of the Analytical Centre of the National Assembly. Our goal is to provide the monitoring of the efficiency of the adopted laws and a body implementing the analysis and the assessment, as well as representing substantial recommendations on te possibility of applying the international legislative experience and traditions in Armenia in any sphere. The activities in this direction, certainly, will continue.

Assuming the Office of the President of the RA National Assembly, from the very first day I have deepened the working relationship between the NA President and the Administration, and it was not accidental that I refused the 80% of about 25 Advisers, Assistants and Aides designed for the President of the National Assembly. I was sure that the Administration of the National Assembly is completely sufficient for efficiently organizing the works. I document with pride that my conviction was right and the huge work done during the past period is its proof.

Distinguished Secretaries General of the Parliaments,

Ending my remarks I express my special gratitude to you that you always stand next to us, the legislators and provide the efficiency of our activities.

I wish you effective work.”