Republican Party of Armenia

 A cabinet sitting was held today, chaired by Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan.

The government decided to extend until August 10, 2015 the deadline set for VAT payments due by Armenia Wine Factory LLC for over AMD 300mn worth of goods and commodities imported under its ongoing investment program in the period from August 10, 2012 to November 30, 2013.

The company is expected to invest AMD 1.4bn to get foreign equipment for the launch of a champagne production line. The planned 30% increase in output capacity may lead to new jobs with average monthly pay of 135 thousand drams.

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan made a point of holding a follow-up discussion at the wine producers’ association considering the need for coordinated action aimed at promoting Armenian wine brand in a bid for new sales outlets.

To provide for uninterrupted water supply from Sevan-Hrazdan energy-irrigation system, the Cabinet decided to raise this year’s water intake quota to 204.0 cubic meters from the planned 169.0, approved a draft government opinion concerning the bill on amendment to the law on Lake Sevan.

Members of Parliament Vahagn Makhsudyan and Khachik Harutyunyan submitted a legislative initiative to enact legislation prohibiting the construction of small hydropower across the Sevan watershed considering their adverse impact on the ecosystem and the fisheries, in particular.

The meeting next backed a procedure to follow in collecting performance data pertaining to the telecommunications and information technologies sector, keeping a statistical-administrative register and endorsed a development concept and an action plan for urban outpatient services. According to another decision, people suffering from auricular disorders may henceforth get hearing aids of European manufacture based on State-administered certificates. The amounts due to demobilized rank-and-file servicemen, as well as to the families of those perished during military operations have been brought into conformity with the national law on social insurance of servicemen and their families.

In accordance with the law on civil protection, the government established a civil defense camouflage procedure, issued guidelines for revenue scheduling and the definition of quarterly proportions. In line with the government’s European integration policy, the meeting amended the appendix to decree No. 608-N of May 5, 2011 concerning the approval of the HACCP program on the analysis and critical control of fishery-related hazards. The decision was passed in a bid to enhance consumer safety and ensure greater export potential for domestic fish producers.

At the end of the meeting, the Prime Minister told Deputy Head of Police Arthur Osikyan to submit information as to what additional measures have been taken to facilitate the process rendering biometric passports.

Arthur Osikyan advised that a record number of passport applicants is being recorded this year, which rose by 30 thousand to some 200.000 as compared to the first semester of 2011.

Due to this fact, all the necessary measures are being taken, including the functioning of extra working shifts on non-working days and outside the working hours.
Today we can state that the problem is solved, with additional batches of passports having been imported into the country. Arthur Osikyan noted that for the time being, we have a small number of applicants for biometric passports. According to the first 1.5 months’ data, only 800 people have so far applied for such passports.