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On October 23 at Komitas Museum-Institute the NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport organized parliamentary hearings on the legislative package “On Museums and the RA Museum Fund” and “On Amending the RA Code on Administrative Infringements.”

The RA NA deputies, the Deputy Chairman of the NKR Parliament Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Vardges Ulubabyan, the directors of the museums of different marzes and the communities of the republic and the representatives of the RA Ministry of Culture attended the hearings.

The Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Artak Davtyan has informed that the aim of the hearings is the regulation of the legal field in the sphere of museum. In the Committee Chairman’s word, Armenia is a museum in an open air, thus, in that context we should have such a law, which will regulate the activities of the museums and the museum fund.

The key reporter, the RA Deputy Minister of Culture Arev Samuelyan, before touching upon the draft law, presented in detail the policy and the situation being implemented in the sphere of museums. In the Deputy Minister’s word, today there are 123 museums in Armenia, 54 out of them are in Yerevan.

She has noted that one of the main directions of the state policy in the sphere of museums is the enrichment, accounting, scientific research, preservation, protection of the cultural values and collections, the training of the human resources, the organization of the new exhibitions, the expansion of the exhibits and fund territories.

The Deputy Minister has stated that by the draft law the relations connected with the creation of the museums, suspension of the activities, the formation, enrichment, accounting and preservation of the museum fund of the Republic of Armenia are regulated. As a result of the adoption of the draft law and its use, an influence on the business and investment environment is not designed. The types and the functions of the museum, the legal bases of the formation, enrichment and the security of the RA museum fund are defined by the draft law.

The Deputy Minister thoroughly touched upon the provisions of the draft law, particularly, the notions, which, according to her, are of great importance for the regulation.

She has also informed that one of the goals of the draft law is also the preservation of the material and non-material cultural heritage of nature and their transmission to generations, the creation of the scientifically registered museum artifacts and collections, promotion of the national system of values and formation of civil system.

Arev Samuelyan in detail referred to especially the process of the accreditation of the museums, which has caused stormy debates.

The key speakers were addressed questions on the draft law, which related to the order of accreditation of the museums, the problems of the community libraries, the alienation of the museum buildings, the RA museum fund and the national museum fund and the insurance of the museum species.

Karen Aristakesyan, Director of Sardarapat National Museum of Armenian Ethnography and Liberation Movement, Hamazasp Khachatryan, Director of Regional Studies Museum, Nora Dayan, Lecturer of Khachatur Abovyan Armenian State Pedagogical University presented recommendations, in their speeches touched upon some shortcomings existing in the draft law.

In her final speech the Deputy Minister of Culture Arev Samuelyan thanked the participants for the debate and the presented recommendations.