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At the NA June 15 regular sitting, the debate of the annual report of the state budget execution for 2021 continued.

The member of the NA Standing Committee on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs Arusyak Manavazyan presented the endorsement of the Committee on the annual report.

The deputy noted that the report was effectively debated at the joint sittings of the Standing Committees, where the opposition took part. The rapporteur touched upon the budget indicators, underlining that they already serve as a basis to vote for the budget execution. Arusyak Manavazyan emphasized the work with the Government in more increasing the percentage of the capital expenditure performance, noting that that indicator is 92%.

The rapporteur drew the attention of the MPs and the government officials also to the human capital expenditures of the budget, which was 47.9% of the budget expenditures and includes the spheres of education, health care, social security, culture and religion.

The MP noted that the opposition deputies do not want to speak about the published data. They also do not oppose, which means that they accept the budget execution of the previous year. According to Arusyak Manavazyan, the budget debate is a good occasion and an important control instrument for criticizing the power, however, the opposition has chosen street, without agenda fight, which ended yesterday in a way how it started.

The Chair of the NA Standing Committee on Defense and Security Andranik Kocharyan noted in his co-report that the 16.8% or 336 billion AMD of the budget actual expenditures was provided to the defense, it is more than 7.6% of the approved one, and by 0.2% less than the adjusted programmes. According to the Committee Chair, in the context of defense and security after the 44-day war there have been expenditure and content change, which is necessary for providing the security stable procedure of the country.

Andranik Kocharyan expressed hope that the work done gives basis to suppose that the implementation of the goals established by 2021-2026 programme, as the recovery and technological modernization of the combat effectiveness of the armed forces.

The Committee Chair proposed the parliament to approve the state budget execution for 2021.

The Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan noted that in 2021, the problem of the Ministry was to maintain the performance of the current programmes, carrying out in parallel the preventive, treatment and restraining the pandemic measures conditioned by the pandemic. In 2021, 159 billion 190 million AMD was allocated, and 35 billion 251 million AMD was directed to the implementation of the prevention of the coronavirus pandemic, treatment procedure and remaining programmes. In the reporting year the vaccination processes also began in the Republic of Armenia. At that moment, batches of available vaccinations were obtained. As a result of bilateral negotiations, there were also numerous donations, which gave an opportunity to save the state budget means, providing the vaccination process in the Republic of Armenia. A number of screening programmes against cancer, reconstruction and re-equipment works of 8 medical organizations began. In 2021, the issue of the complete reconstruction of the National Center for Mental Health Care was included in the programme for the first time. Reforms in the volume and content of the current programmes were made.

In his speech the Head of the RA NA Civil Contract Faction Hayk Konjoryan noted that the opposition did not take part in the debates because of being engaged with other agenda. According to him, the political majority with the executive body debated the budget execution, in fact also fulfilling the functions of the parliamentary opposition. Regarding the opposition destiny, he noted that summing up the actions of more than forty days we can affirm that the opposition is in default, as they cannot serve its obligations in any sphere: in the National Assembly, before the citizens voted for them and in the street. According to him, this is an opportunity for the citizens to think. “The opposition, keeping in hostage Artsakh for several decades, wants to seize the power, as the robber demands money in the bank. This did not happen and will not happen. Their sad epilogue speaks about the fact that the political bankruptcy is recorded not only in this hall, but also in the streets and squares,” the deputy noted.

Hayk Konjoryan noted that the failure of the opposition testified to the victory of democracy in Armenia, because the opposition had tools expressing its dissatisfaction: it used all impossible and possible tools, attacked the democracy, but the power did not apply to provocations.

In his speech the Deputy Chair of the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs Babken Tunyan noted that the annual report of the RA state budget execution was debated in all Committees. According to him, the debates of every year show that there is still need of a lot of work. In the opinion of the Committee Deputy Chair, criteria shall always be worked out for presenting the reports of the budget.

The speaker expects that during the debates of the next year’s budget the committee will make bigger efforts in their spheres in order to have criteria that instead of speaking about money understand if we have reached the outlined goals. “The budget is about the results, but not about the money,” Babken Tunyan said.