On November 8, Mr. Gagik Minasyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Financial-Credit, Budgetary and Economic Affairs of the National Assembly met with the students of the Armenian State University Of Economics. Before touching upon the debates of the 2007 draft budget, Mr. Minasyan presented the young economists the forms of the draft budget debates in several countries: especially the draft debates in the USA are organized in two different committees and last eight months. In most countries the draft budget passes 3-4 readings, and budget committees also function.

Talking about the 2007 draft budget debates in our country, Mr. Minasyan informed that the budget debates in the Standing Committees of the National Assembly pass in an open procedure. Taking into consideration the military, defense and security interests of the country, only one sitting is debated in closed procedure of the Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs.

Mr. Minasyan touched upon the problems of general education, noting that the education is a weapon in all times and not having a national school means to lead the nation to destruction.The primary attention of the state should be the schools. He said that after several years all schools will be fully reconstructed.

The students were interested in the increase of their scholarship. Mr. Minasyan said that the financial means of the state are not sufficient for the solution of the problem yet. Answering the questions relating to the tax field, Mr. Minasyan said that so far the non-classical tax type functions in our republic, the fight against 'shadow' will be continued. In response to the question of one of the students, why this year the budget has social orientation, Mr. Minasyan said that it is conditioned by the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper.