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On July 8, the RA NA Standing Committees on Territorial Administration, Local Self-Government, Agriculture and Environment and on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs moderated by Vahe Ghalumyan and Gevorg Papoyan debated the preliminary version of the state budget on the relevant part for 2023.

According to Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Gnel Sanosyan, the Ministry designed to implement 23 programmes with 135 measures with mid-term expenditure programmes for 2023-2025, for which 324.3 billion AMD will be allocated in 2023, 369.2 billion AMD – in 2024, 444.1 billion AMD – in 2025. In the sphere the biggest programme is Territorial development, within its framework it is designed to give 69.8 billion AMD to the communities, which is 8 percent more than the allocation of the current year.

In the coming year, the subsidies to be given to the communities will be 22 billion AMD. In 2022, the subsidies were 18 billion AMD. Gnel Sanosyan informed that in 2023, the subsidy bids are already accepted from the communities. It is expected that until 15^th of the current month the bids of 2023 will be completely accepted. 973 million AMD is designed to allocate to the border communities with the programme State Support to Border Communities, which is a bit little from the allocation of this year.

The Minister also touched upon other programmes, particularly, next year the programme of providing seismic security of schools will continue in the republic. 11 billion AMD will be allocated for that purpose. The Government will support the enlarged communities with 8.1 billion AMD.

Next year it is designed to sell state property of about 10 billion AMD.

The MPs inquired the Minister about the stray dogs, closing the garbage trucks of the residential buildings of the cities of Gyumri and Vanadzor, the gasification of the newly constructed buildings, creating jobs in the border communities.

The deputy of the Civil Contract Faction Segey Bagratyan proposed the Minister to observe the issue of opening branches of well-known companies in the border communities. “We know that the Government is not a creator of a job, but a creator of a condition of a job. Shouldn’t we and you find an opportunity that as a result of our well-known producer companies, we’ll try to have branches of those companies in the border communities and solve the problem of employment?” the MP asked. According to him, some well-known companies can positively respond to this proposal.

Agreeing with the concerns raised by the MP, Gnel Sanosyan noted that the people sometimes leave the border communities not because the settlement is on the border, there is danger, etc., but the jobs, schools and kindergartens, infrastructures, etc. are few. “These thoughts result in the fact that we will pay the most serious attention to the improvement of the environment and the development of the infrastructures in the communities. And it is not accidental that a huge, big place is left to the border communities in the subsidy programmes.” the Minister noted.

Gnel Sanosyan also presented other privileges which aim to promote the development of the border communities.

The Chair of the Standing Committee on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs Gevorg Papoyan proposed the Minister to pay attention to the issue of the water system development and qualitative indices.

Gevorg Papoyan suggested the attendees to present in more detail the abovementioned indices to the parliament during the autumn debates.