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On October 8 on the initiative of the NA Standing Committee on Economic Affairs parliamentary hearings on the theme “The Existing Problems in the Sphere of Underground Resources Operation” were held, where NA deputies, representatives of the RA Government, NGOs and experts were taking part.

The Committee Chairman Vardan Ayvazyan conditioned the importance of the sphere of the underground resources operation by its unique role in the economy of Armenia.

The RA Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Areg Galstyan highlighted the importance of the Code on Mineral Resources which entered into force from 2012 in the solution of the existing numerous problems in the sphere.

Vigen Avetisyan, the Head of the Department of Underground Resources and Land Protection Policy of the RA Ministry of Nature Protection touched upon a number of works stemming from the demands of the law and done by the Ministry, which referred to the assessment of the influence of the underground resources on the nature and environment and the health of the population.

The RA Deputy Minister of Finance Suren Karayan and the RA Deputy Chairman of the State Revenue Committee Vakhtang Mirumyan touched upon the financial-economic and tax policy implementing in the sphere of underground resources.

The key speakers, as well as the RA Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan and the RA Minister of Nature Protection Aram Harutyunyan answered the questions of the participants of the hearings.

Summing up the results of the parliamentary hearings the Committee Chairman Vardan Ayvazyan noticed that the expectations connected with the adoption of the Code on Underground Resources were justified, but not completely, practically, many problems had been solved in the sphere, but there existed a number of procedural problems which should be solved.

To his assessment, there is a problem of effective operation of the underground resources, which first should be solved by law investing serious mechanisms of organizing the work. He also highlighted the factor of activation of the NGOs in the effective solution of the problems.