On March 31, the Chair of the RA NA Standing Committee on Territorial Administration, Local Self-Government and Environment Protection Vahe Ghalumyan, the members of the Committee Matevos Asatryan and Sergey Bagratyan met with the members of the Parliamentary Delegation of the Czech Republic, who arrived in Armenia to take part in the Seminar titled “Strengthened protection and sustainable use of biodiversity in Armenia in line with the European standards.”

The event was organized within the framework of the EU Twinning project “Strengthening the capacity of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia to further support Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Czechia to Armenia Bedřich Kopecký also took part in the meeting.

Welcoming the guests, the Committee Chair Vahe Ghalumyan highlighted the Czech counterparts’ visit to Armenia in these hardest times, evaluated the nature protection with them, as well as the discussion of the issues related to the legislative amendments in line with the international agreements and the exchange of experience.

The Committee members were interested in the Czech legislation regulating the field of mining, particularly the works of the tailings cleaning, presented the legislative package on Making Addenda to the law on the RA Budgetary System and on Making Addendum to the law on Local Self-Government adopted recently, as a result of which the 2 per cent of royalty being paid by the entrails user would be transferred to the affected communities.

The members of the delegation informed that in the past three days they had been in Khosrov Forest State Reserve, in Dilijan National Park, in the Caucasian Red Deer Breeding Center in Dilijan National Park.

The interlocutors have documented the problems relating to the nature protection in the two countries are similar: the availability of the tailings is also disputable in Czechia.

The Czech colleagues think that Armenia can develop the tourism, stressing on the visits to the reserves.

In this context the Committee Chair Vahe Ghalumyan informed that the Government of Armenia considered of priority the development of tourism, and for that purpose measures are taken.

Other issues on nature protection were discussed. The interlocutors emphasized the continuity of cooperation.