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On May 20 the RA National Assembly Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan  hosted in the Parliament the directors and employees of a number of museums.

Hovik Abrahamyan once again congratulated them on the International Museum Day and proposed to discuss in a casual atmosphere the problems of the sphere and the possibility of their solution, including the legislative one. The Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Artak Davtyan and the Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan attended the meeting.

Marine Haroyan, the director of the Association of Museum Workers and Friends, thanked for the meeting and the given opportunity. In her word, this is the first time taht the NA Speaker receives them and has an intimate talk. Telling about the activity of the organization, where 55 workers and 15 students-volunteers from about 40 museums, higher educational institutions, the RA NAS research institutes functioning in different regions of Armenia are involved, she noted that it had been the second year that the Association of Museum Workers and Friends by the financial support of the Armenian National Fund, Hovik Abrahamyan, the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Union of Germany People’s Higher Schools published Museum scientific-methodological annual magaizine, in fact, the 2010, second issue, was sponsored by the NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan. Thanking for cooperation, which began last year by the event held in the Cafesjian Museum, she presented the issues of the magazine to the NA Speaker from the Association.

Then the representatives of the museums voiced about the main problems relating to the sphere. In particular, they talked about the adoption of the Law on Museums, as well as about the need of amending the  related laws, which would give opportunity to activate and make effective the activity of the museums. The Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan informed those present at what phase the elaboration of the draft law was and asked the NA Speaker to launch the procedure of the draft law as soon as possible after getting it to the parliament from the government. The NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan promised them that when the bill got to the legislative body, they would debate it in the very first four-day sittings of the autumn session, as well as organize palriamentary hearings.

The participants of the meeting proposed to deliver lessons at schools and educational institutions, within the framework of which the children would visit museums, it was considered necessary to involve the schoolchildren of the marzes, too. The Head of the parliament welcomed the proposals, expressing willingness, to support the solution of the organizational issues necessary for their implementation. He considered expedient to include the visits to museums within the NA Open Lesson programme of the children, who visit parliament.

Another proposal related to the enhancement of the cultural direction and development of cultural tourism in the legislation regulating the tourism. In this case, the NA Speaker also expressed willingness of supporting them, promising to carry out the agreements reached during the meeting.

Recently the Speaker of the National Assembly visited the Karen Demirchian Museum. The Director of Karen Demirchyan fund Rima Demirchyan, who was attending the meeting in the parliament, taking the advantage thanked Hovik Abrahamyan for visiting the museum and welcomed the initiative of the meeting, considering desirable that such attitude towards the museums would be continuous.

The NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan and the representatives of the museums have also been in the NA Session Hall, ending the meeting with the joint photo.