1 / 9

On November 14 the RA National Assembly continued the work of the four-day sittings. The parliament by voting refused the draft law “On Amending the RA Law on Minimum Monthly Wage”, which had authored the ARF faction deputies Aghvan Vardanyan, Armen Rustamyan, Artsvik Minasyan, Vahan Hovhannisyan and Vahan Babayan.

Then the parliament continued the debates of the RA draft law “On Amending the RA State Budget for 2013”. Two dozens of deputies were registered for exchange of thoughts.

Nikol Pashinyan characterized it as “conservation budget”, noting that the submitted draft law did not only prevent the emigration, but this also encouraged it. Mikayel Melkumyan opined that the draft law under debate is insufficient, and in this shape could not solve the problems facing the country. Artashes Geghamyan endorsed the draft law and highlighted the analysis on the assessment of the submitted risks enclosed to the draft budget. Artsvik Minasyan touched upon the problem of the unemployment and the lack of budgetary allocations to the industry and a number of other spheres and announced that he would vote against the draft law.

The RA Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Artem Asatryan delivered an extraordinary speech.

Hovhannes Margaryan touched upon the proposals made by the Rule of Law Party and noticed with satisfaction that most of them had been passed and included in the draft law.

In the view of the RPA faction deputy Hayk Babukhanyan, the draft budget of this year differs from the previous ones.

In his extraordinary speech the NA Vice President Eduard Sharmazanov deemed the draft budget realistic, noting that it “was not the budget of our dreams”.

The Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport also touched upon the expenditures envisaged in the sphere of the Committee and recorded growth in the spheres of science, general education and in particular, in inclusive education.

Khosrov Harutyunyan also talked about the advantages of the programme budget.

Galust Sahakyan called on the opposition to criticize but not offend and be constructive.

The ANC deputy Hrant Bagratyan noted that he had sent 40 proposals to the Government on the draft law, showing the sources of their financing, but he had not received any answer.

In the opinion of the ARF faction deputy Aghvan Vardanyan, the budgets of the current year and of 2013 do not differ in any way.

Two ministers delivered extraordinary speeches on the draft law.

The Minister of Justice Hrayr Tovmasyan presented the expenditures increased in the sphere led by him.

The Minister of Science and Education Armen Ashotyan touched upon the speculations on not presenting the draft law at the plenary session by the RA Prime Minister.

At the last hour of the Wednesday four-day sittings the deputies addressed questions to the members of the Government.