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Under Article 100 of the RA Constitution and Article 41 of the RA Law Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, at the initiative of the Government, on June 7 the RA NA extraordinary sitting was convened by the initiator’s established agenda.

The NA Speaker Ara Babloyan has informed that every day four sittings of the extraordinary sitting will be held with one-and-a-half-hour duration, the duration of every break will be half an hour.

The parliament approved the RA NA draft decisions on Holding of the RA NA Extraordinary Sitting Convened on 7 June 2017, on the Establishment of the Debate Duration of the Items at RA NA Extraordinary Sitting, on the Special Procedure of the Debate of the Agenda Items of the RA NA Extraordinary Sitting Convened on 7 June 2017. According to the NA last decision, the debate of the draft laws in the second reading passed in the first reading at the extraordinary sitting will be held within 24 hours after adopting them in the first reading.

Legislative package on Creation of Corruption Prevention Commission was debated

The RA NA Deputy Speaker Arpine Hovhannisyan presented for debate in the first reading the united legislative package on Corruption Prevention Commission, on Whistleblowers’ System, on Amending the RA Law on Public Service, on Amending the RA Law on Legal Acts, on Amending the RA Law on Operative-Intelligence Activities, on Amending the RA Criminal Code, on Amending the RA Law on Administration Bases and Administrative Procedure, on Amending the RA Law on the RA Administrative Procedure Code, on Amending the RA Law on Remuneration of State Officials, on Amending the RA Code on Administrative Infringements, on Amending the RA Law on Police and on Amending the RA Law on Prosecutor’s Office.

The deputies addressed numerous questions to the key speaker Arpine Hovhannisyan, and exhaustive answers were given to them.

The NA deputies Nikol Pashinyan, Armen Rustamyan, Mikayel Melkumyan (the RA NA Deputy Speaker), Andranik Karapetyan, Artak Zeynalyan, Naira Zohrabyan and Gevorg Gorgisyan expressed their views on the package.

The NA Deputy Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov delivered an extraordinary speech and stressed the necessity of fighting corruption and noted that the efforts of opposition and power should be united in this matter.

The NA Speaker Ara Babloyan gave an extraordinary speech

“Dear colleagues,

First of all, thank you for the debates of concern and numerous expressed viewpoints. It is my deep conviction that the thoughts and recommendations that sound and will still sound in this hall, will help the authors and the National Assembly to further improve the presented bills and reach the main goal to reduce and, why not, eventually eliminate corruption.

The presented bills are of vital importance for our state, because the corruption as a phenomenon, simply threatens our statehood. It is a threat for the security of the country, as it has an impact on business environment, damages the vital activities of the state, weakens the citizens’ trust towards power and endangers the authority of the country. Therefore, by fighting corruption in all ways, mechanisms and levels allowed by law we strive to strengthen social, economic, political security of the country, as well as the citizen's individual security.

Our superior problem is to provide our internal and external security.

Dear colleagues, our soldier standing at the border, defending our security from the external enemy, should be confident that we fight irreconcilably against the enemy threatening the internal security, corruption. Unequivocally, today in this issue everybody's viewpoint is the same. I agree with a number of my colleagues, who insist in their recommendations that we should unite the political forces and the civil society, should be able to have citizens and officials' united approach, see transparent, just struggle and reach appropriate results. I would like to note that this draft law on Corruption Prevention Commission proposes certain solutions, which are genuinely intended to the decrease, prevention of the corruption level and making the fight against it more efficient. Yes, creation of a new body is designed: during the discussions we will come to certain conclusions, but we initially see it as an independent, autonomous, collegial body, and its members are elected by the National Assembly.

Dear colleagues, you know, it isn't a month yet that the President of the Republic delivered a speech , where the head of our country, speaking about the achievements, at the same time called on to improve the anti-corruption system. I am more than confident that the adoption of the Law on Corruption Prevention Commission and the creation of the Commission based on it will be of key importance for the development of the institutional system of the corruption prevention in Armenia, as well as for boosting the works in the sphere of corruption prevention.

Ending my word, I request everybody: the political majority and the political opposition – to find the best ways, support the draft laws and vote for the reasonable recommendations.”

The RA NA Deputy Speaker touched upon the terrorism occurred near the parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Imam Khomeini’s Mausoleum

By the proposal of the RA NA Deputy Speaker the parliamentarians expressed their sympathy to the people of Iran in one-minute silence.

Afterwards the NA deputies Mane Tandilyan, Vahe Enfiajyan, Sergey Bagratyan and Gevorg Petrosyan continued delivering their speeches .

Nikol Pashinyan from the RA NA Way Out and Samvel Farmanyan from the RA NA RPA Factions expressed their viewpoints on the package.

In her final speech the RA NA Deputy Speaker, the co-author of the legislative package Arpine Hovhannisyan touched upon the deputies’ concerns and recommendations and emphasized the format of the parliamentary debates.

The draft law on Amending the RA Law on Public Utility Regulatory Body was debated

Afterwards the parliament in the first reading debated the draft law on Public Utility Regulatory Body, which presented the RA First Deputy Minister of Justice Artur Hovhannisyan.

The Chair of the NA Standing Committee on Economic Affairs Khosrov Harutyunyan presented the endorsement of the Committee.

The item on privatizing 47 companies was also debated

The Head of the State Property Management Department Arman Sahakyan presented the draft law on Amending the RA Law on State Property Privatization Programme for 2017-2020 for debate in the first reading.

Khosrov Harutyunyan noted that recommendations were presented, and a mutual agreement was reached as a result of cooperation with the representative of the government.

The RA NA Speaker Ara Babloyan gave an extraordinary speech

The NA Speaker noted that being in the sphere of medicine for many years he permanently tried to give qualified medical service to the children and adults and develop the private sector, being pro-state himself. Mr Babloyan touched upon some issues and noted that we should not confuse the notions healthcare and medical services. Talking about the efficiency of the treatment of a number of diseases, he stated that we should have complex approach in this matter directed to the prevention of the diseases, their early disclosure, correct treatment and provision of further control.

The NA Speaker underlined that he had talked with the RA Prime Minister, an agreement was reached on the process of privatization of medical institutions: we should elaborate certain programme for every institution.

Ara Babloyan referred to the list of the medical entities presented for privatization and presented in detail the effective experience of already privatized medical institutions. Being Scientific Director of Arabkir Institute of Children and Teenagers’ Health Medical Complex LLC, Mr Babloyan presented the path and the achievements passed by the Centre. He expected from the deputies distinct requirements on the conditions of the hospitals’ privatization. The NA Speaker expressed conviction that, we should surely privatize hospitals, however, we should work in the direction of clarifying the conditions.

The NA deputies Gevorg Gorgisyan, Artak Zeynalyan, Naira Zohrabyan, Vahe Enfiajyan, Sergey Bagratyan, Marina Margaryan and Vardan Bostanjyan expressed their viewpoints .

The National Assembly will continue the work of the extraordinary sitting on June 8.