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On November 28 on the initiative of the RA NA Standing Committee on Territorial Management and Local Self-Government parliamentary hearings were held. The document entitled “Strategic Approaches of Further Development of the Local Self-Government (LSG) and Decentralization of Power of the Republic of Armenia” elaborated by the organizations functioning within the framework of the Civil Society and Local Government Support Program being financed by the USAID was discussed.

Deputies, the RA Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Territorial Administration Armen Gevorgyan, heads of communities, representatives of the NGOs, experts and journalists were taking part in the discussion.

Alex Sardar, Chief of Party at Counterpart International Armenia and the member of the organization Artur Drambyan presented the document for discussion.

The authors indicated short-term, mid-term and long-term goals for the development of the LSG system. They proposed to make bigger communities, formation of inter-community associations, as well as establish two-level local self-government system by making constitutional reforms, re-distribute the authorities of state and local self-government bodies.

In co-report the RA First Minister of Territorial Administration Vache Terteryan has highlighted the existing provisions in the document. He has noted that the RA Government has a joint elaborated and adopted short-term strategy with the RA National Assembly, the RA President’s Staff, Public Council, other organizations within the framework of cooperation with the Council of Europe on the issue, where the provisions mainly included comply with the directions, which are presented and for discussion in the proposed document.

He emphasized the public discussions and specialists; proposals of the approaches included in the document.

During the exchange of thoughts Armen Gevorgyan thanked for the initiative, noted that most of provisions existing in the document under discussion could assist the further development and improvement of the LSG system.

Summing up the parliamentary hearings, the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Territorial Management and Local Self-Government Stepan Margaryan noticed that the LSG system needed radical reforms, but the steps should be careful and gradual. In particular, according to him, it is necessary to make reforms in the spheres of the system administration and adequate development of the territories.