Before the 9th session of the National Assembly of third convocation on February 5, the sittings of NA Standing Committees took place.
During the sitting of the Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs, which was presided over by the Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Aramayis Grigoryan, the Deputy Chief of Police of RA, Mr. Ararat Mahtesyan presented with first reading the legislative package of the draft law On Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA law on Providing Security of Road Traffic, the draft law On Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA law On Police and the draft law On Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Code of Administrative Offences, submitted by the Government. With the approval of the Committee the legislative package will be placed on the agenda of NA spring session and four day sittings.
The Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration, Mr. Vache Terteryan presented with first reading the draft law On Approving the Regulations of Rescue Service. The draft law was approved by the Committee and will be placed on the agenda of the 9th session of NA third convocation.
The draft laws on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA law On State Border, On Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA law on Frontier Troops and the draft law on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA law On Bodyguard Activity were discussed with second reading and placed on the agenda of the coming four-day sittings with the approval of the Committee.
At the sitting of the NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations presided over by the Chairman of the 
Committee Mr. Armen Roustamyan, the Minister of Trade and Economic Development Mr. Karen Chshmarityan presented the agreement signed on April 26, 2005 On Encouraging Investments and Mutual Defense between the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, which was approved and included in the agenda of four-day sittings of February 5-8. The Minister presented also the Geneva Act of the Hague agreement On International Registration of Industrial Samples, signed in Geneva on July 2, 1999 and the agreement of Locarno, which establishes an international classification of industrial samples, signed in Locarno on October 8, 1968 and amended on September 28, 1979. With the approval of the Committee, the agreements will be included in the agenda of the forthcoming four-day sittings.
With the approval of the Committee the draft laws on Making Amendment to the laws On International Agreements of the Republic of Armenia and On Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly will be included in the agenda of NA four-day sittings in order to be discussed with second reading.
The sitting of NA Standing Committee on Financial-Credit, Budgetary and 
Economic Affairs presided over by the Chairman of the Committee Mr. Gagik Minasyan discussed the legislative initiatives that were presented for being included in the agenda of the 9th
session and the forthcoming four-day sittings. The majority of the draft laws were approved by the Committee. The draft laws On Nationalization, On Tax of Science, as well as the Air Code of the Republic of Armenia, presented by MP Mr. Tatul Manaseryan, did not get the required number of votes to be approved by the Committee. The Committee didn’t approve the amendments to the law On Restoration of City of Gyumri proposed by Mr. Samvel Balasanyan and Mr. Hovhannes Margaryan neither.
The Chairman of the Central Bank Mr. Tigran Sargsyan presented the 2007 Annual Program of 
Monetary Policy of the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia.
According to the Minister of Agriculture Mr. Davit Lokyan, the draft law On Organic Agriculture stems from the strategy of agriculture development and is in conformity with the requirements of the European Union.
The Minister of Energy Mr. Armen Movsisyan presented to the members of the Committee the draft law submitted by the Government On Establishing Tax Privileges for the Construction Works of Meghri-Kajaran Pipeline. In 2004 The Iranian Bank of Development of Exportation gave a loan of 28.2 million dollars to the Ministry of Energy for the construction of Meghri-Kajaran part of the Iran-Armenia pipeline, which has 40 kilometers of length.
The MPs of the Republican Party had initiated an amendment to the law On Property Tax. Co-author of the draft law Mrs. Heghine Naghdalyan informed her colleagues, that they envisage exonerating from tax the means of transport given to the handicapped as a social allowance.
The Committee discussed also other issues.
At the sitting of the NA Standing Committee On Science, Education, Culture and Youth the draft law submitted by NA President Mr. Tigran Torosyan On Relations 
between the Republic of Armenia and Armenian Apostolic Church presented with second reading was discussed. Mr. Torosyan informed that after the first reading about ten amendments of editorial nature have been made to the draft law taking into consideration the proposals of the MPs, the Government of RA and Holy Echmiadzin. It was particularly noted that according to the 9th
article the state recognizes the civil status of marriages conducted with the regular ritual of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Property relations between spouses can come forward only after registering the marriage at the body registering the acts of civil marriage. The draft law includes a provision about the confidentiality of church confessions, which prohibits from interrogating the confessor of the Armenian Apostolic Church as a witness on matters that he has learnt during the confession.
The Committee approved the draft law to be discussed with second reading during the forthcoming four-day sittings.
The Committee discussed the draft law On Public Education and a package of amendments made to a number of laws related to it, that were presented by Deputy Minister of Education and Science Mr. Bagrat Yesayan.
The Committee members suggested including in the draft law clear and strict provisions on keeping the school away from politics.
The Committee approved the package of draft laws for including them in the agenda of the NA session.
The draft law On Theater and Theatrical Activity authored by the RA Government was discussed and approved to be included in the agenda of the session. Two other draft laws regarding the same sphere were withdrawn from circulation upon the proposal of their authors.
The discussion of 19 draft laws included in the agenda of the Committee sitting was put off.
The draft law On Making Amendment to the law On Citizenship of the Republic of Armenia submitted 
by Mr. Samvel Shahgaldyan and Mr. Mnatsakan Petrosyan was discussed at the sitting of the NA Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Health Care and Environment presided over by Mr. Mnatsakan Petrosyan.
Mr. Simon Papyan, Deputy Minister of Nature Protection, also presented the government-submitted draft on Making Addendum to the RA Law on Preserving the Atmospheric Air.
Mr. Karlen Gevorgyan, Deputy Minister of Town Building presented the government-submitted draft on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on Management of Block of Buildings.
The draft on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on Reconstruction of the City of Gyumri, submitted by the MPs Mr.Samvel Balasanyan and Mr. Hovhannes Margarayan, was presented by Mr. Samvel Balasanyan.
The Committee debated also the government-submitted draft on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on Realization, Consumption and Use of Tobacco Products, which was submitted by Mr. Suren Krmoyan, Head of Legal Department at Ministry of Health.
The draft debated at the Committee was endorsed to be placed on the agendas of the four-day sittings and big session.
The debates of following drafts were postponed for 60 days: on Making Addendum to the RA Law on Plants Protection and Plants Quarantine, on Making Addendum to the RA Law on State Agrarian Inspectorates, on Making Addendum to the RA Law on Licensing, on Making Addenda to the RA Law on Ensuring Accesses in Public Transport and Social Places to the Disabled and other Persons with Disabilities, on Administrative Offences, on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on Drugs and Psychic Substances, on Making Amendment and Addenda to the RA Law on State Youth Policy, on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on Prevention of a Disease Caused by the Virus of Human’s Immune Inefficiency, on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Labor Code, on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on Cash Register Machines’ Implementation, on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on State Revenues, on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on State Pensions, on State Warranties in Ensuring Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities to Men and Women, on the Essence and Structure ofMinimum Living Basket, on Social Protection of Persons Suffered in Chernobyl Nuclear Station Disaster and other Nuclear Disasters, on Prevention and Treatment of Diabetes, on Restoration and Payment of Deposits in ArmEconomBank, on Making Amendment to the RA Law on Minimal Monthly Payment, on Making Amendments to the RA Law on Obligatory Social Insurance Payments, on Making Addendum to the RA Law on Work Payment, on Making Addendum to the RA Law on Civil Servants, on Making Amendment to the RA Law on Tax Service, on Making Addendum to the RA Law on Criminal Executive Service, on Main Provisions of the RA National Security, on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Criminal Code, on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Criminal Executive Code, on Making Addendum to the RA Law on Detainees and on State Duty, on Youth, on Social Assistance, on Warranties to Restoration of Deposits and Legal Protection of Citizens.
The Standing Committee on State and Legal Issues presided over by Mr.Rafik Petrosyan debated the 
draft on Making Amendment to the RA Criminal Executive Code in the first reading.
Mr. Artsvik Minasyan, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, presented the draft on Making Amendment to the RA Labor Code for the first reading.
Mr. Davit Harutyunyan, Minister of Justice, presented for the first reading the draft on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Civil Code, which defines relationships of civil responsibilities.
The Minister of Justice presented also the following legislative package: on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Criminal Executive Code, on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Civil Executive Code, on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on Court Structure, on Making Addendum to the RA Law on Advocacy, on Making Amendments to the RA Law on Council of Justice, on Making Addendum to the RA Law on Judicial Service.
The Law on the Government Structure and Impeachment, which was presented by Mr. Davit 
Harutyunyan, Minister of Justice, was debated in the first reading.
The Minister of Justice presented for the first reading the draft on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on Judicial Service.
The MPs debated in the first reading the following drafts: on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on Citizenship, on Making Addendum to the RA Law on Conscription, on Making Addendum to the RA Criminal Code, on Making Addendum to the RA Code on Administrative Offences, on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Electoral Code. The drafts were presented by the Minister of Justice.
Taking into consideration the social situation, heating system problems it is necessary to propose amendments to the RA Criminal Code.
The following drafts also were debated in the first reading: on Putting in Force the RA Judicial Code, on Prosecutor’s Office, on Making Addendum to the RA Criminal Code, on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on State Registration of Legal Entities, on Making Amendment to the RA Law on Citizenship.
The debated drafts will be endorsed to be put on the draft agendas of the NA Spring session and upcoming four-day sittings.
The drafts on the RA Judicial Code, on Making Amendment and Addendum to the RA Law on Conscription were debated in the second reading. The drafts will be put on the draft agenda of the NA upcoming four-day sittings.
On the decision of the Committee 3 drafts were postponed for 30 days, and 22 drafts were postponed for 90 days.
