At the joint sitting of the Standing Committees of Financial-Credit, Budgetary and Economic Affairs and on Science, Education, Culture and Youth of the National Assembly, on November 7 the budgetary financial issues of the science, education, culture, information and sports spheres by the RA draft law on 2007 RA State Budget were debated.

Pavel Safaryan, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy informed that in 2007 the mid-term expenditure situation of the education sphere will be preserved as a pledge of progress of economy. The envisioned expenditure of the educational sphere by 2007 draft budget is 86751 million drams. About 48589 million drams is envisioned for general training by the draft budget, from which 37065 million accounted drams for the salary will enable to reach the medium accounted rate up to 74.000 drams, including the additional payments of the teacher’s administrative staff, the salary of the administrative rates up to 76.000 drams, auxiliary and technical rates - up to 23000 drams.

The science sphere expenditures by the draft budget are 5712m drams, the expenditures, allocated for the spheres of culture, information and sports are 14444 drams.

Mr. Levon Mkrtchyan, Minister of Education and Science, presented the budgetary assignments envisioned for the future works in separate branches of the sphere. The educational comprehensive reform, amendment of the normative field, the increase of the salaries, retraining of pedagogical staff, methodological service, development and introduction of the materials providing transition to 12-year education, development and investment of normative documents are still the basic priority of educational sphere. During the forthcoming decade the RA higher specialized education will be conditioned by integration of the RA higher educational system into Bologna process. The credit system of the organization of training will be entered into the RA educational institutions from 2006-2007 educational year.

The reforms of the scientific sphere, increase of the research workers’ salary, reproduction of scientific potential, creation of the independent expert structure, the systematized organization of works of the scientific technical information and analytical center will be the basic priorities of scientific sphere in 2007.

3450 million drams by the draft budget is envisioned for the organizations receiving basic financing.

In other organizations the monthly salary is envisioned with increase of 20 %, and the minimal salary - at a rate of 20000 drams by basic financing.

813 million drams is envisioned for the state targeting programme financing, and 1290,9 million drams for contractual or thematic financing.

Mr. Gagik Gyurjyan, Deputy Minister of Culture and Youth Affairs presented the expenditures allocated by the draft budget to the sphere of culture, the growth of 587m drams in comparison with the last year is caused by the increase of the salary and capital expenditures in 20%. The Deputy Minister also presented the envisioned expenditures by the budget for the certain spheres of the culture - libraries, museums, houses of culture, cinematography, restoration and conservation of monuments and cultural values.

Mr. Mikael Ispiryan, Deputy Chairman of the National Committee of Physical Education and Sports adjunct to the RA Government, informed that 1484m drams is envisioned for sports in 2007. RA NCTR Chairman Grigor Amalyan, noted that the 91,5m drams, allocated for the commission by the budget is envisioned for the salary and the maintenance of the commission.

Chairman of the Council of the Public TV and Radio Company Mr. Alexan Harutyunyan, noted that in comparison with the last year, the financial allocations for their sphere have not undergone essential changes.

At the joint sitting of the NA Standing Committees on Foreign Relations and on Financial-Credit, Budgetary and Economic Affairs the issues of the Foreign Ministry financing and payments for the accession into international organizations and the facility issues of the state debt were discussed.

Mr. Atom Janjughazyan, Chief Treasurer of the Republic of Armenia presented the foreign state debt of the Republic of Armenia.

During 2007 about 148,9 million US dollars is envisioned to receive for the foreign state debt (RA FSD). At the same time, it is envisaged to serve nearly 52m Us dollars (including service of guarantees), 41m US dollars on redeem of the basic sum and about 11m US dollars as interest, including the redeem of 17.027m US dollars of the main sum in the terms of obligations of the RA Government and 10.01m US dollars interest.

Mr. Janjughazyan noted that at the end of 2007 the RА FSD will make about 1368,8 million US dollars.

The indices, describing the 2006-2008 FSD will be within the limits of indices of the countries having a cargo of less and average debt.

The RА Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy Mr. Pavel Safaryan, presenting the means providing the activity of foreign policy administration, noted that 5 billion 610m of drams will be allocated to the system.

For the maintenance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 754 million of drams will be assigned.128 million drams will be allocated to the RA State Service. The RA membership payments will be 870,7 million of drams. According to the Deputy Minister, the expenditures on the maintenance of embassies and representations of the RA have increased - 4,3 billion of drams.

Touching upon the means allocated to the sphere, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Oskanian noted, that they are enough for the implementation of effective foreign policy. According to Mr. Oskanian, the RA trade representations were opened in Brussels, Geneva, Moscow, soon - in Washington too. During the current year Armenia has got two new buildings for embassies, after five years all 40 representations of Armenia will have their own administrative buildings. Mr. Oskanian also touched upon the work of the consulates, noting that during 9 months of the current year the consular payments were made by 138 % - 1 billion 860 million drams.