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On June 5 in Nyzhny Novgorod the 24^th sitting of the RA NA and RF FA Inter-Parliamentary Committee was held. The items “On the Current Situation and Perspectives of the Small and Medium Business on the Committee activity and the agenda and terms of the next sitting in the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation,” the Committee activity and the agenda and the terms of the next sitting were included on the agenda of the sitting. Yevgeny Lyulin, Deputy Head of Nyzhny Novgorod State, Oleg Yesayan, the RA Ambassador to the RF, Ivan Volinkin, the Ambassador of Russia to the RA, members of Nyzhny Novgorod Government, the RA Minister of Economy Tigran Harutyunyan, representatives of the Armenian community and businessmen took part in the sitting. Hermine Naghdalyan, the RA NA Deputy Speaker, Co-Chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee had a welcoming speech. She conveyed the address by the RA NA Speaker Galust Sahakyan and briefly presented the agenda items, the further steps, underlining the close cooperation of the two countries in different spheres. Welcoming the participants of the sitting Nikolay Ryzhkov highly assessed the effective work of the Committee. He has conveyed the address by the Speaker of the Federal Council of the RF Federal Assembly Valentina Matvienko, where the importance of the close cooperation between the two countries is underscored, and the inter-parliamentary cooperation is the important component of it. It has been noted that Armenia’s readiness of joining the Customs Union will promote the further development of the Eurasian integration, the enlargement of the inter-state, economic, inter-parliamentary and cultural ties.

Oleg Yesayan, the RA Ambassador to the RF, handed over the high awards given by the RA President Serzh Sargsyan to the long-year members of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee Vladimir Lityushkin, Igor Shubin, Alexander Ter-Avanesov, Boris Reznik and Hovhannes Ohanyan. Ivan Volinkin, the RF Ambassador to the RA has addressed the participants, informing them that the Committee members of the Armenian side are also presented for the RF state awards.

Natalya Larionova, the Director of the Development and Competition Department of the Small and Medium Business of the RF Economic Development Ministry had a report on the first item of the agenda. She presented the problems of the employment, small and medium entrepreneurship, the statistics and legislation. The report says that in Russia in that sphere a state support system is created and functions, which also gives an opportunity to spread privileges for the Armenian entrepreneurs. Tigran Harutyunyan, the co-reporter from the Armenian side, the RA Minister of Economy has informed in his speech to the participants of the sitting that in Armenia also a support programme of small and medium business functions, a work has been done in simplification of the taxes and online reports, which has had its positive result. He also highlighted Armenia’s decision of joining the Customs Union and said that the road map had already been worked out and 200 events had been held in that direction. In his words in that context, the unification of the legislation will give an opportunity also to solve the problems of the working migrants. Lyudmila Khokhlachova, the Chair of the Women Leaders Association of Russia, made a report from the Russian side. She emphasized the women’s role in the small and medium business and introduced the work of their organization. The RA NA Deputy Speaker Hermine Naghdalyan spotlighted the enlargement of the cooperative and trade ties, elimination of the customs and bureaucratic obstacles and the availability of the joint projects. The Chairman of the NA Standing Committee also emphasized the support programmes of the small and medium enterprises, as well as the use of the tax privileges. At the sitting the integration processes and the works connected with them were highlighted. A decision was made to create a working group and make recommendation at the next sitting. During the sitting Committee members Volodya Badalyan, Hayk Babukhanyan, Tigran Urikhanyan, Levon Zurabyan and Ruben Hakobyan expressed their viewpoints. They also touched upon the processes of the regional armament, endangering peace and Eurasian integration.

A decision was made to hold the next sitting in Yerevan in autumn. The item of the development of cooperation between Armenia and Russia in the Customs Union and the Eurasian Economic Union will be included in the agenda. At the end of the sitting Co-Chairs Hermine Naghdalyan and Nikolay Ryzhkov signed a protocol.

The Co-Chairs H. Naghdalyan and N. Ryzhkov had a press conference after the sitting. The next day the parliamentarians visited the Armenian Church of Saint Saviour and met the representatives of the Armenian community in Nyzhny Novgorod.