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On January 15, under the sounds of the RA anthem the work of the third session of the RA NA sixth convocation began.

The RA NA Speaker Ara Babloyan informed that taking into consideration the concerns over the deficit of the certain goods, as well as relating to this item the recommendations of the RA Speaker to convene parliamentary hearings on the theme The Reasons of the Rise in Price of Certain Goods and the Opportunities of Mitigating the Inflation on his initiative in the RA NA Session Hall on January 23, at 11:00.

Afterwards the deputies approved the draft laws of the agendas of the third session of the RA NA sixth convocation and the regular sittings convened on January 15.

The parliament by voting refused including the draft laws on Making Addendum to the RA Tax Code and on Amending the RA Tax Code authored by the RA NA Tsarukyan Faction in the agenda of the session.

The parliament debated the RA NA Draft Statement on Condemnation of the Genocide towards the Yezidis in the Territories of the Republic of Iraq being under the Control of Terrorist Groupings authored by the RA NA deputies Vahram Baghdasaryan, Rustam Makhmudyan and Armen Ashotyan, the RA NA Republican Party of Armenia, the RA NA Tsarukyan, the RA NA ARF, the RA NA Way Out Factions. As Mr Makhmudyan noted, in 2014 attacks were organized on the city of Sinjar (North of Iraq) populated by the Yezidis, where more than three thousand people were killed, two hundre thousand Yezidis became refugees, about 5000 women and girls were kidnapped.

The Chairman of the RA NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Armen Ashotyan presented the endorsement on the NA draft statement.

The Chair of the RA NA Standing Committee on European Integration Naira Zohrabyan presented the endorsement and noted that what happened with the Yezidi people in Iraq different international structures qualified as genocide.

The NA deputies Knyaz Hasanov, Shirak Torosyan, Samvel Farmanyan, Mihran Hakobyan, Arsen Mikhaylov, Ruzanna Muradyan and Armen Rustamyan expressed their views on the RA NA draft statement.

The RA NA Deputy Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov delivered an extraordinary speech.

The RA NA Deputy Speaker highlighted the mutual agreement of the parliamentary political forces in the adoption of the draft statement. Mr Sharmazanov considered symbolic the adoption of the draft law in the jubilee year, 2018: in 1948 the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Genocide as a Crime was adopted by the UN General Assembly.

“The RA parliamentarians’ problem should be not only to fight against the international condemnation of the Armenian Genocide and the Turkish denialism, but also we should be the pioneer against the phenomenon of genocide, and which is very more important, the false genocides about which try to speak the “newly created” different states,” the RA NA Deputy Speaker underlined.

Armen Rustamyan presented the viewpoint of the RA NA ARF Faction on the RA NA draft statement.

In their final speeches Armen Ashotyan, Naira Zohrabyan and Rustam Makhmudyan touched upon the deputies’ speeches and concerns.

The RA Minister of Nature Protection Artsvik Minasyan presented for debate in the first reading the legislative package on Making Amendments to the RA Water Code, on Amending the RA Law on Licensing and on Amending the RA Law on State Duty .

The member of the RA NA Standing Committee on Territorial Administration, Local Self-Government, Agriculture and Environment Aram Harutyunyan presented the endorsement of the Committee. The RA NA deputies Sergey Bagratyan, Mikayel Melkumyan, Vardan Bostanjyan and Vardevan Grigoryan expressed their views on the draft law.

In their final speeches Aram Harutyunyan and Artsvik Minasyan touched upon the voiced concerns.

The legislative package on Amending the RA Law on Licensing and on Amending the RA Law on State Duty authored by the RA NA deputies Edmon Marukyan, Ararat Mirzoyan, Nikol Pashinyan, Gevorg Gorgisyan and Artak Zeynalyan was debated in the first reading.

Sergey Bagratyan presented the endorsement of the RA NA Standing Committee on Economic Affairs.

The RA Deputy Chairman of the Investigative Committee Artur Ghambaryan presented in the first reading the draft law on Making Addendum to the RA Law on Police with the enclosed legislative package.

The Deputy Chair of the RA NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs and Protection of Human Rights Rustam Makhmudyan presented the endorsement of the Committee.

Afterwards the MPs debated the draft law on Ratifying the Agreement on Mutual Visits of the Citizens between the RA Government and the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan presented by the RA Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan.

The member of the RA NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Karen Bekaryan presented the endorsement of the Committee and called on to vote for the draft law.

Afterwards the legislative package on Amending the RA Law on Automobile Transport and on Amending the Code on the RA Administrative Infringements was debated in the first reading presented by the RA First Deputy Minister of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies Gagik Grigoryan.

A number of draft laws and legislative packages were debated in the second reading and for completely passing them.

The National Assembly will continue the work of the sitting on January 16.