At May 25 NA sittings the Vice Speaker Tigran Torosyan informed that on May 22 presented resignations from the posts of committees’ chairpersons from Orinats Yerkir faction MPs Mher Shahgeldyan and Gagik Mkheyan are accepted, according to the 26 th article of NA Rules of Procedures. The resignation from NA Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan will be accepted on May 22, according to the 20th article of the NA Rules of Procedures.

The Vice Speaker informed also about the establishment of “Entrepreneur” Deputy group, which is headed by NA Deputy Grigor Margaryan, the secretary - Mekhak Mkhitaryan. The members of the group are Sayad Zakharyan, Eduard Gabrielyan, Samvel Shahgaldyan, Arshak Mkhitaryan, Aleksan Petrosyan, Tigran Yeganyan, Arkady Hambardzoumyan and Artak Sargsyan.

Then the MPs adopted by voting previously debated drafts on making Amendment to the RA Law on Defining Privileges of Environmental Payments to “Yerevan Jour/Water” CJSC and on Making Addenda to the RA Law on Environmental and Nature Use Payments, on Making Amendment to the RA Law on Fixed Payments, on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on RA Criminal Executive Code, on Making Amendment to the RA Criminal Code, on Making Amendment and Addenda to the RA Criminal Procedure Code, on Making Amendments to the RA Law on Fixed Payments for Tobacco Production, on Making Amendment and Addenda to the RA Law on Constitutional Court and on Licensing, on Making Amendment to the RA Law on Energy, on Making Amendment and Addendum to the RA Law on Income Tax, on Making Addendum to the RA Law on Monetary Regulation and Monetary Control, on Making Amendments to the RA Law on Approving List of Goods Imported by Organizations and Solitary Entrepreneurs under 0 Customs Rate and Not Subject to Exercise Taxation, for which Customs Authorities shall not Accrue and Collect VAT.

The MPs continued the debates of the draft on Making Amendments and Addendum to the RA Criminal Code.

Rafik Petrosyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs presenting the endorsement of the Committee, informed that according to the statistics the fight during the last 3-4 years against shadow economy is weak.

Tigran Torosyan, the NA Vice Speaker, being for the adoption of the draft in the first reading, reported that functioning articles are in need of analyzing between the first and the second readings.

In the final speech, Artur Osikyan, Deputy Head of the State Tax Service , assured that the purpose of the draft is not to forcefully collect taxes, but to protect interests of decent taxpayers, to eradicate corruption risks.

The RA government-submitted draft on Making Amendments and Addendum to the RA Criminal Code, presented by RA Deputy Prosecutor Gevorg Danielyan, was debated in the first reading.

Rafik Petrosyan, Chair of the Committee presented the endorsement of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs, informing that the draft has been prepared on the basis of the provisions of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings, adopted on May 16, 2005.

The government-submitted draft on making Amendments and Addendum to the RA Criminal Code was debated in the first reading.

Rafik Petrosyan, Chair of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs, presenting the endorsement of the Committee, informed that NA Legislative Analysis and Development Department, analyzing foreign countries’ experience, proposed to define limitation periods also for attempt to commit a crime and for preparation of a crime.

The draft, presented by NA Deputy Rafik Petrosyan, on making Amendments and Addendum to the RA Civil Procedure Code was debated in the first reading. The Government endorsed the draft.

Vache Terteryan, Deputy Minister for Territorial Administration and Coordination of Infrastructures presented the government-submitted draft on making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Code on Administrative Offences.

Karen Matevosyan, Deputy Chairman of RA Government’s Customs State Committee presented the government-submitted draft on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Code on Administrative Offences, which was also debated in the first reading.

The NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs endorsed these two debated drafts.

Manvel Badalyan, President of Civil Service Council, presented the report on 2004 Civil Service Council Activity. The debates on the report on 2004 Civil Service Council Activity will continue during next sittings.

The drafts on Making Addendum to the RA Law on Holidays and Memorial Days, on Making Amendments to the RA Law on Income Taxes, on making Amendments to the RA Law on Declaration of Revenues and Property of Physical Entities, on Making Amendments to the RA Law on 2006-2007 State Privatization Program, on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on Cassation, on Making Amendments to the RA Law on Energy were debated in the second reading.

The Parliament also debated agreements on European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, signed on December 18, 2002 in New-York, additional protocols to the Cybercrime Convention regarding "criminalization of acts of a racist or xenophobic nature committed through computer networks," signed on January 28, 2003 in Strasburg and Anti Doping Convention, signed on September 12, 2002 in Warsaw,  on Joint Funding of (TRACECA) Intergovernmental Standing Committee Secretariat and Basic Multilateral Agreement on international transport for the development of the Europe-Caucasus-Asia corridor” (TRACECA), signed on April 21, 2005 in Baku, on Technical Cooperation between the RA Government and Japanese Government, signed on June 8, 2005 in Tokyo, on Exclusion of Revenues’ and Property’s Double Taxation and Prevention of Taxation Avoidance, signed between the Government of Armenia and the Government of  Egypt on December 6, 2005 in Cairo, on Exclusion of Revenues’ and Property’s Double Taxation and Prevention of Taxation Avoidance, signed between the Government of Armenia and the Government of Indonesia on October 12, 2005 in Jakarta, on Exclusion of Revenues’ and Property’s Double Taxation and Prevention of Taxation Avoidance, signed between  Armenia and the Republic of Tajikistan on June 30, 2005 in Dushanbe.

The NA Committee concluded the four-day sittings.