The sitting of February 26 of the National Assembly began with a discussion of the four-day session agenda. Mr. Tigran Torosyan, President of the National Assembly informed that in the morning committee sessions were held and with a positive conclusion the draft law suggesting amendments in the law on Value Added Tax was included in the first section of the agenda. Another draft law suggesting amendments in the law on Administrative Offences was placed in the third, obligatory on the agenda and if necessary, in the section of the discussed issues.

The MPs of the National Assembly confirmed by voting the agenda of the four-day sittings and approved the suggestion of the President of the Republic of Armenia, to discuss again the draft law, returned to the National Assembly, on making amendments and addenda in the RA Code on Administrative Offences, adopted on February 7, 2007.

The MPs also adopted by voting 9 draft laws discussed during the special session of the National Assembly.

The main speaker Mr. David Harutyunyan, Minister of Justice, before discussing the package of draft laws suggesting amendments in the laws on making amendments and addenda in the law of the Republic of Armenia on Citizenship, informed that one amendment in the package has been made, by which the dual citizen is permitted to participate in the elections, if he is registered in the Republic of Armenia. The draft law was adopted with 66 for, 5 against and 1 abstained.

The National Assembly discussed a number of draft laws concerning agriculture and environmental protection.

According to Mr. David Lokyan, Minister of Agriculture, the draft law on Organic Agriculture will create legal grounds for further development of organic agriculture and will support the rise of effective management of natural and legal entities in that sphere and promotion of export of organic and ecological products.

With the draft law of making amendments in the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia, was suggested making stricter the size, penalty for illegal cutting down of the trees.

According to Mr. Simon Papyan, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection, the draft law of making addenda in the law of the Republic of Armenia on Protection of Atmospheric Air aims to exclude the construction and other not counted dustexhaustion, clarifying the responsibilities of a construction organization. Mr. Mnatsakan Petrosyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Health Care and Environment of the National Assembly, expressing the committee’s positive viewpoint on the draft law, suggested enlarging the list of air pollutants and regulating their responsibilities.

The law on Preservation, Protection of Game Animals, Game Husbandry and Organization of Hunting regulates the preservation and stable use of game animals, game husbandry and organization of hunting, the circle of hunting and hunt-using participants and entities, the state management of the sphere and establishes a number of necessary legal acts regulating the field.

Highlighting the draft law Mr. Mnatsakan Petrosyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Health Care and Environment of the National Assembly, informed that the committee will introduce written suggestions before the third reading.

Mr. Manuk Vardanyan, Chairman of the State Committee of the Real Estate Cadastre, adjunct to the Government of the Republic of Armenia, introduced the draft laws on making addenda in the law of the Republic of Armenia on the Control and Protection of the Soil Use and on the Organization and Realization of the Audits of the Republic of Armenia, by which the issues and forms of the control of the effective use and protection of soil, the bodies implementing the control, their duties and rights and the rights and duties of the controlled persons and the orders ofthe control realization are defined.

The MPs also discussed the draft laws on making addenda in the law of the Republic of Armenia on Property Tax, on making amendments in the law of the Republic of Armenia on Value Added Tax, on making amendments in the law of the Republic of Armenia on Administrative Offences, on Insurance and Insurance activities, on making amendments and addenda in the law of the Republic of Armenia on Market and Services, on making amendments and addenda in the law of the Republic of Armenia on Bank Secrecy, on making amendments and addenda in the law of the Republic of Armenia on Control of the Apartments House, on making amendments in the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Armenia, on making amendments in Labor Code, on Employee Unions and 6 international treaties.

The National Assembly will continue the work of the four-day sittings on February 27.