At April 11 sitting of the National Assembly the MPs passed in the first reading the amendment proposed to the law on Energy, and the initiative of the executive body on the amendments to the law on Approving the List of Goods Imported by Organizations and Solitary Entrepreneurs under a 0 Customs Rate and not Subject to Excise Taxation, for which Customs Authorities shall not Accrue and Collect Value Added Tax was rejected not collecting necessary number of votes.

The parliament continued debating the 2001-2003 state property privatization programme. Karine Kirakosyan, Head of State Property Management Department adjunct to RA Government answered the MPs’ questions. Proposals sounded on taking back the report and submit to the parliament with the analyses or reject them at all.

Artur Baghdasaryan, NA President introduced a number of queries, which need to be clarified. First, what’s the difference between privatization and alienation? The issue is conditioned by the circumstance that the executive power is alienates organizations not included in the privatization programme approved by law. As Mrs. Kirakosyan said that the alienation is a wide understanding than the privatization. The companies decided to be privatized by state policy and approved by law. But there are a number of other laws on Joint-stock Companies, State Non Commercial Organizations, Bankruptcy, which allow carrying out an alienation process. The NA President drew the attention of the Government’s representative also to the fact that the 2005-2007privatization programme hasn’t been submitted to the parliament’s approval. The head of the department said that they don’t introduce new programmes as 300 companies included in 2001-2003 haven’t been privatized yet. And the law allows in case of not approving the programme of the given year to be led by the current programme. The head of the parliament asked about the steps taken in case of not having fulfilling investment obligations. In Mrs. Kirakosyan words, they apply to the judicial bodies with a claim against the companies avoiding the fulfillment of the obligations. But they didn’t have an occasion to apply to judicial bodies: for that a fact proving an offence or abuse is necessary. The NA President also expressed concern on the occasion of the scientific and educational institutions, though the privatization of the organizations of that sphere is prohibited by law. Noting that 535 pre-school institutions and 250 libraries have been privatized, Artur Baghdasaryan tried to specify how this structure fights against these illegalities, what mechanism apply. It became clear from the answer of the Government’s representative that the pre-school institutions were transferred to the ownership of the communities, and the Government has no relation to the deals done. And within the framework of the privatization 6 educational entities have been privatized. In the same part of the capital the territory is sold in one case for 1000 drams, in another case – for 100.000 drams. What’s the principle? In response to that question Mrs. Kirakosyan clarified that the difference of the estimation prices is conditioned by the economic activity of the given company and the starting indices.

The conclusion of the NA Standing Committee on Financial-Credit, Budgetary and Economic Affairs on the report was positive.

The political forces of the parliament will present their viewpoints on the report at April 12 sitting.

At the end of the second day of the four-day sittings the MPs, led by the NA Rules of Procedure, made announcements.