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On May 4 the NA Standing Committee on Territorial Management and Local Self-Government organized parliamentary hearings on the theme “Expansion of Communities,” where the NA deputies, members of the RA Government, governors, heads of communities, experts and representatives of the NGOs took part.

The Committee Chairman Stepan Margaryan, opening the hearings, has noted that the subject under debate today is one of the most important issues, as the system of the local self-government has a need of special reform. He has informed that the experience of different countries in that sphere has been studied, debates have been held both with the heads of the communities and the residents, whose viewpoints on the process unequivocally are not designed.

Vache Terteryan, the First Deputy Minister of the RA Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations, presented the expansion of communities. Speaking about the necessity of the expansion of communities, he has noted that since 1996, when the system of the local self-government has been invested, this theme has been touched upon, as there are problems in the communities which are not solved because of inefficiency of the administration system.

In 2011 the Government has elaborated the concept of the Expansion of Communities and Formation of Inter-Community Associations, afterwards by the approval of the events program of the RA Government activity for 2014 and the prior problems “a pilot” program of expansion of communities has begun in Syunik, Lori and Tavush Marzes. On May 17 local referenda will be held to unite a number of communities of those marzes to clarify the residents’ opinions about the enlargement of communities. Vache Terteryan has informed that many programs with investment packages have been envisaged to implement in the communities.

Within the framework of the theme expert Vahan Movsisyan delivered a speech.

Answering the attendees’ questions, Vache Terteryan and Vahan Movsisyan clarified that, as a result of the reform, the jobs will not get cut, and the goal of the expansion of communities is not the savings of the financial resources.

The NA deputies Araik Hovhannisyan, Hovhannes Margaryan, representatives of the NGOs David Tumanyan and Emin Yeritsyan espressed their viewpoints and concerns on the issue.

In his final speech Stepan Margaryan underlined the necessity of the expansion of communities and highlighted the debates in different formats.