Thursday, 9 August 2012
Syrian-Armenian Children To Rest In Armenia
A Cabinet sitting was held today, chaired by Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan.
To begin with, the Prime Minister advised that a first group of children is coming from Syria to spend their summer holiday in Armenia. Details were provided by the First Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration (the Premier’s and Deputy Minister’s remarks are posted separately).
The meeting approved the government’s program of activities and priorities for 2012, as well as the corresponding substantiations.
The Executive took note of the report of the Staff of Government on the status of those assignments specified in the Government’s decision of January 12, 2012 (01.01.2012 - 30.06.2012). Out of a total of 46 items, 45 or 97.8% have been complied with in the period under review.
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said that the government has already heard the reports of 16 agencies, with the balance to be heard after the holiday season. The heads of the agencies concerned were given appropriate instructions.
Making redistributions in the 2012 State budget and amending a previous decree, the Government allocated AMD12mn to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs in order to organize the rest of 100 GPW veterans as selected on the basis of merit, age and health priority. “Assisting our veterans with their summer rest has become a nice tradition,” the Prime Minister noted in this connection.
The Government went on to approve an investment project by Ekotomato JSC on the construction of a warm-house in Goght community of Kotayk Marz. Since 2011 the Company has been cultivating high-quality breeds of Dutch roses, with the bulk of output exported to Russia, Georgia, Belarus and Sweden. Part of roses is marketed at home at affordable prices. The project implies construction of new facilities on an area of 32 ha next to the existing ones over a couple of years to boost the exports by 2.5 times.
The government established the modalities for night-time use of fireworks and pyrotechnical products in public places. It has been determined that fireworks can be held by State and local self-government authorities and citizens on New Year’s Eve - from 23.00, December 31 to 01.00, January 1, as well as on such holiday days as specified under the Republic of Armenia Law “On Holidays and Remembrance Days.
Considering that a number of important events have occurred since 1998 when the currently applicable criminal code was put into application, the Government considers it expedient to amend the Criminal Code. The meeting approved the draft criminal code which is expected to further strengthen the procedural guarantees for the protection of human rights, ensure a balance between public and private interests, increase the role and significance of the court in line with international standards and so on.
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan deemed it necessary for the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Police and the Central Bank to hold another discussion of the document’s conceptual provisions before submitting it to the National Assembly.
The Executive approved the third report of the Republic of Armenia in conformity with Article 15, Paragraph 1 of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The Yezidi community of Armenia had appealed to the government with a request to lower the marriage age for girls from 18 to 16 years.
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan stressed the need for a comprehensive debate over this issue in order to avoid contradiction between legislation and reality.
