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The drafts were revised taking into consideration the problems created around the Araks River, in particular, the existing dangers of the riverbed change, which cause serious risks of border changes, the need to construct coastal barriers preventing the change of the riverbed and to rebuild the collapsed barriers, ensuring their quick regulation mechanisms.

The inadequacy of opportunities to detect violations committed by organizations mining sand from riverbeds on the edge layer, in particular cases of mining from the riverbed, which creates risks of undesirable situations at the border, were taken into consideration. The RA Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Hovhannes Harutyunyan stated about this presenting the legislative package on Addenda to Lithosphere Code of the Republic of Armenia and on Addenda to the Code on Administrative Offenses in the first reading of Parliament on February 9. The Deputy Minister informed that the initiative was debated in detail in the NA Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, the MPs got acquainted with the issue on the spot.

The NA Vice President Ruben Rubinyan inquired whether sand mining from the Araks River had been regulated in any way before the launch of this draft, to which Hovhannes Harutyunyan gave a positive answer. “Mining sand from the riverbed was prohibited, there is a Government decision, it is also prohibited by the Lithosphere Code, but, considering that the area is located on the edge layer, and the inspection or on-site control bodies did not have full powers to carry out this activity, we hereby we give additional powers and try to regulate what is happening within the limits of the law,” he explained. As a result of the adoption of the initiative, the National Security Service (NSS) will have the right to carry out operative-investigative administration and to transfer the protocol on illegal sand mining to the inspection body, which in turn will provide it to the Ministry.

The debate of the issue will continue on February 10.

The inadequacy of opportunities to detect violations committed by organizations mining sand from riverbeds on the edge layer, in particular cases of mining from the riverbed, which creates risks of undesirable situations at the border, were taken into consideration. The RA Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Hovhannes Harutyunyan stated about this presenting the legislative package on Addenda to Lithosphere Code of the Republic of Armenia and on Addenda to the Code on Administrative Offenses in the first reading of Parliament on February 9. The Deputy Minister informed that the initiative was debated in detail in the NA Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, the MPs got acquainted with the issue on the spot.

The NA Vice President Ruben Rubinyan inquired whether sand mining from the Araks River had been regulated in any way before the launch of this draft, to which Hovhannes Harutyunyan gave a positive answer. “Mining sand from the riverbed was prohibited, there is a Government decision, it is also prohibited by the Lithosphere Code, but, considering that the area is located on the edge layer, and the inspection or on-site control bodies did not have full powers to carry out this activity, we hereby we give additional powers and try to regulate what is happening within the limits of the law,” he explained. As a result of the adoption of the initiative, the National Security Service (NSS) will have the right to carry out operative-investigative administration and to transfer the protocol on illegal sand mining to the inspection body, which in turn will provide it to the Ministry.

The debate of the issue will continue on February 10.