Thursday, 19 February 2015
Offering each other a book has become a tradition on Hovhannes Tumanyan’s birthday
A Cabinet sitting was held today, chaired by Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan.
Opening the meeting, the Prime Minister said that offering each other a book has become a tradition on February 19, which is great Armenian poet Hovhannes Tumanyan’s birthday. On this occasion, Hovik Abrahamyan presented the meeting participants with “Mandilion” novel by Vahan Hovhannisyan, stressing that they should spare the time to read the novel on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
The government decided to hand over for free and permanent use to Matenadaran - the repository of old manuscripts after Mesrop Mashtots - 93 literary exhibits kept so far at the Ministry of Culture-affiliated Yeghishe Charents Museum of Literature and Art. The exhibits represent a number of manuscripts drafted in Ottoman, Turkish, Persian and Arabic from the personal collection of Istanbul-born philologist and writer Toros Azatyan, as well as handwritten dictionaries and reproductions of medieval Armenian writings of medical character dating back to the 18-19th centuries.
Part of the collection is in poor condition and stands in need of immediate restoration that can only be done in Matenadaran, which has all the necessary conditions for the preservation and restoration of medieval manuscripts. Note that earlier several Armenian manuscripts coming from Toros Azatyan’s collection had been transferred to Matenadaran to ensure adequate protection, research and popularization of the exhibits.
The government approved a procedure to follow in refunding income tax amounts at the rate of mortgage loan interest paid by hired workers, self-employed individuals and notaries.
According to the Prime Minister, the matter had been discussed repeatedly, and the given decision is a serious step. He said the government is thereby assuming a budget commitment to help the citizens benefit from mortgage lending and purchase housing.
The government approved a set of draft laws in amendments to the Turnover Tax Law and related legal acts. The proposed amendments relate to documented evidence submitted by traders. The package had been subject to heated discussions resulting in a number of approaches, including from parliamentary factions. It remains to look at the solutions proposed by small and medium enterprises and non-governmental organizations.
As the Prime Minister instructed, it is not until all the views have been given due consideration that the bill will be sent to the National Assembly for approval.
The government decided to set up an anticorruption council, approved its composition, establishing that a standing independent expert panel would be operational by the Council. The Cabinet approved the rules and procedures of the Anticorruption Council, the Expert Task Force and the Government Staff’s Anticorruption Program Monitoring Unit.
The meeting next amended the November 21, 2013 government decision on approval of the agreement on purchase and sale of Vorotan HPC CJSC-owned assets and approved a finalized text of the agreement, which implies a more balanced approach to the regulation of legal relationship between the parties.
The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Armenia was authorized to sign the document on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Armenia.
