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On October 9, the NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport organized working discussion on the draft laws on Youth and State Youth Policy.

As to the member of the NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Vahe Enfiajyan, representatives of NA factions, government, different youth structures and NGOs were invited for the debate.

RA NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan greeted the discussion, which related to the bills concerning the 1/3 of our population, the youth, though in NA Speaker’s words, the draft laws on Youth and State Youth Policy, in general, referred to the whole society. He said that the government took back the draft law on State Youth Policy and after additionally drafting it would be again submitted to the parliament. The NA Speaker noted that the youth issues and problems were always highlighted in the parliament. “I, myself, have numerous meetings with the representatives of the youth organizations and, in general, the young people both in Yerevan and in the marzes,” Hovik Abrahamyan said. There young deputies in the National Assembly, who rather actively take part in the legislative activity. The Open Lesson programme is held for making more transparent the works of the National Assembly and making closer the youth, within the framework of which senior students of different schools get familiarized with the works of the parliament, take part in the sittings.

According to the observation of RA NA Speaker, the modern youth is formed under numerous factors: social, economic, political and cultural. “Certainly, for the country being in the process of the establishment, adhering to the path of democratic standards it’s immediately difficult to solve all the problems, but I think one of the revelations of the civil society is to approach with perception the possibilities of the state,” Hovik Abrahamyan said. Today, in Armenia many programmes directed at solving the problems of the youth are implemented. In particular, through the means of Luis fund in the leading higher educational institutions of the foreign country many Armenian young people get education. In the foreign country the agreements signed with different countries give opportunity to get education, too. The programme of providing the young families with flats is in progress. In the state government and local self-government bodies considerable number of the young people are involved in the staff of the president of the republic, in the National Assembly and the government, in the regional administration and in other places. The young people are very active in the private sector and in the business world.

RA NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan noted that today there was a wide arena for the self-expression of the young people. And all of us jointly shall do our best in order never to have lack of presence: lack of effective, valuable and dignified presence. And for that not only finances are necessary, but also respect, tolerance, solidarity and mutual understanding. In the NA Speaker’s words, if the finances are conditioned by the economic factor, then the rest is simply human. Hovik Abrahamyan considered important that representatives of various NGOs having different political views take part in the debate.

The NA Speaker expressed willingness to meet again with the representatives of the youth and discuss their proposals. Hovik Abrahamyan proposed that the participants would also discuss the idea of creating the Youth Parliament, as well as expressed willingness to give opportunity to the representatives of the youth to take part in the sittings of the parliament and standing committees.

The participants of the working discuusion, which was organized by the NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, introduced their views on the bills of the matter of concern and youth policy, and made proposals.