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On the agenda of the work discussion organized by the NA Standing Committee on Economic Affairs on April 4 were the problems of the companies selling petrol and liquefied gas. The representatives of fuel selling companies and state bodies regarding the sector took part in the discussion.

According to the Deputy Chair of the Committee Babken Tunyan, they met with the business entities of the sector on February 5 and discussed various issues, most of which were related to the current regulations. The fuel filling operators presented suggestions and complaints. “It became clear that the problem is not related to the inspection bodies, but to the regulations on the basis of which the inspection bodies work,” Babken Tunyan said and added that today’s meeting was aimed at re-discussing the issues with the representatives of the relevant bodies. “We hope that this meeting will end with more substantive conclusions,” he said.

The representative of the business entities Ara Hovhannisyan stated that the problem was that since the beginning of the activity of the sector, the situation in Armenia had existed, which almost does not correspond to the internationally accepted rules, forms and norms. Ara Hovhannisyan conveyed the proposal of the business entities, that is, to revise the existing construction rules and norms, so that as a result, it would be possible to separate the existing and operating facility from the newly constructed and designed facility. According to him, the norms developed 40-50 years ago are no longer up-to-date in terms of technology and other aspects.

The speaker presented the international experience, noted that today’s fuel is qualitatively different from the fuel of a few dozen years ago, therefore, the requirements presented to petrol stations must be appropriate. According to him, today 100 billion AMD enters the state budget as a result of the activities of the facilities selling fuel. The representatives of the state bodies voiced the positions of their structures, as well as the legislative requirements to which the regulations of the sector must comply. The importance of the second hydrant from the viewpoint of security was argued.

According to the adviser to the director of Armproject OJSC Sashur Kalashyan, urban development norms have one purpose: To provide a safe environment for the population, people to live and work. According to him, it is not a secret for anyone that in the last 20 years, most of the petrol stations have been operating in a chaotic way, many times without permission or with the wrong permission, and then, sometimes illegally, they received cadastral registration. Summarizing the discussion, the Deputy Chair of the Committee Babken Tunyan mentioned that it is necessary to take into consideration both the interests of the business entities and the issues of ensuring the safety of the citizens.

It was decided to continue the discussion of the issue with the coordination of the relevant structure, with the aim of revising the regulations of the sector.