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On February 21 the RA National Assembly President Hovik Abrahamyan and the Mission Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Armenia Office Karen Hilliard signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The NA Vice Presidents, deputies, representatives of the NA Staff, the USAID Program Support to the RA National Assembly and guests present at the signing ceremony.

Welcoming the attendees the RA NA President Hovik Abrahamyan said:

“Today, in a solemn environment, a new Memorandum of Understanding is being signed between the Armenian National Assembly and the USAID, which is the logical continuation of our years-old cooperation. It has already borne visible results. This document once again attests to the mutually beneficial and efficient work of Armenia with the United States and international organizations, and the bilateral readiness to further it.

The National Assembly is a forum showcasing democratic values, presenting the public spirit, where different political forces have the possibility to express not only views and opinions, show initiatives, but also hold constructive debates and deliberations. We are resolved to further move towards progress, development of political culture, improvement and upgrading of parliament’s functions and mechanisms.

Parliament is an arena, where diverse issues related to the state and society are deliberated and solved. It implies a detailed and keen discussion of draft legislation, information analysis and overloaded committee work, since each and every draft law is a minuscule part of building  the  present and future of the state and parliament’s responsibility for the destiny of the nation. Therefore each and every assistance towards promoting is welcomed and valued. In this regard the signed memoran dum could be a serious impetus for parliamentary committees and National Assembly staff capacity building – I mean experience-based learning, trainings, professional assistance, etc. We are prepared to use the opportunities and tools of our cooperation to the maximum.

While welcoming the launch of the project I would like to thank those people who have initiated it. The invaluable work experience with the United States Agency for International Development, already in place, is a serious guarantee that our joint projects have real prospects .

The Mission Director of the USAID Armenia Office Karen Hilliard in her speech has noted that she is glad to be in the RA National Assembly and sign this Memorandum, which creates new opportunities for cooperation. Karen Hilliard has noted that the parliament represents the people, and the goal of the USAID is to reinforce the democratic administration, making more inclusive the NA representation, oversight and analytic capabilities. The USAID Program Support to the RA National Assembly fulfills works in building the NA institutional capabilities.

The Memorandum establishes the understanding and consent between the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia on behalf of the Republic of Armenia and the Government of the United States of America on behalf of the United States Agency for International Development in the issues of closely cooperating in the directions of implementing joint activity for the role of the legislative power and capability development of Armenia. The goals of the Memorandum are the increase of presenting the citizens’ interests by the NA Standing Committees on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs, on Territorial Management and Local Self-Government, on State and Legal Affairs, Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs, on Health Care, Maternity, Childhood and on Agriculture and Environment, the building of oversight mechanisms towards the legislative power, the improvement of the Committees’ analytical capabilities, the specification of regulating rules and procedures and the improvement of the institutional capabilities.