Republican Party of Armenia

A regular Cabinet meeting was held today, chaired by Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan.

The Government approved the concept of amendments to the procedure for finding foster parents for waifs and strays, which contains the basic principles and policies of reform of the institute of foster family in Armenia. The concept focuses on current issues, taking into account Armenia’s international commitments in the field of foster care.

Accordingly, the Family Code will comply with international standards, resulting in better protection of children’s rights, including waifs, more effective struggle against violations of children’s rights. The Code will give a clear definition of the to role and significance of foster families, their types and bases; the selection and monitoring procedures will be separated, and finally, all terms and definitions causing controversy will be settled.

The Ministry of Economy will be allocated an amount to ensure the transfer of a collateral to the global alliance necessary for our country to host the World Conference on Information Technology (WCIT) in 2019, The conference will contribute to the expansion of cooperation with international organizations and leading IT companies in the promotion and achievements of the performance capabilities of the IT sector, local products, solutions and services for export markets, attracting foreign investments.

Hovik Abrahamyan attached importance to the holding of the conference in Armenia and noted that it will attract investments in the IT sector.

The meeting decided to earmark a sum from the Government’s reserve fund to the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs with a view to hosting the male and female chess veterans’ 16th European championship in Yerevan on June 4-14, 2016.

The Government endorsed the proposal to sign a protocol on amendments to the December 2, 2013 agreement between the governments of the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation on the pricing procedure for the amounts of natural gas delivered to Armenia.

According to the mutually agreed substantiation, the natural gas price for Armenia shall be maintained at the previous year’s level of USD 165 for the period from January 1, 2016 through March 31, 2016.

The Executive next backed the proposal sign a protocol on amendments to the December 2, 2013 agreement between the governments of the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation on the purchase and sale of stake in ArmRosgazprom and subsequently activities.

The Protocol implies that all extra receipts obtained by Gazprom Armenia CJSC in the first quarter of 2016 shall be left to Gazprom Armenia CJSC as a means for impairment of losses caused by Armenian dram’s depreciation against the US dollar, as well as for enabling Gazprom OJSC to retrieve its investment in the assets of Gazprom Armenia CJSC.

According to the study, otherwise the reimbursement would have been possible only through the increase of natural gas price, which in turn might affect the price of electricity. The parties undertake to develop and approve a cash flow calculation model for Gazprom Armenia CJSC no later than November 1, 2016.

The signing of the protocols will promote mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, creating favorable conditions for the development of economic relations and continued increase in business activity.

The Government next approved the proposal to sign an agreement between governments of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Cyprus on mutual recognition of higher education qualifications.

The agreement will help strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of education and science, establish mutually beneficial scientific and educational ties.

In conclusion, the meeting approved the list of such laws as may be subject to adoption, amendment or supplementation based on the mandatory provisions stemming from constitutional changes.