OREANDA-NEWS. April 14, 2011. The National Assembly continued the work of the four-day sittings and by voting passed all the bills, which were debated on the previous day, except the package of bills on Amending the RA Law on State Non-Commercial Organizations and bills related to it, the voting will be carried out at April 13 sitting.

The parliament ratified the Protocol N 5 On Amending the Treaty On Russian Military Station in the Territory of the Republic of Armenia between the RA and the RF of March 16, 1995 between the RA and the RF signed in Yerevan on August 20, 2010

On the proposal of the NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan the deputies welcomed the schoolchildren of the Armenian Knight Educational Centre, who were hosted in the parliament within the framework of the NA Open Doors policy.

Then the debate of the bill submitted by the RA Government in the first reading On Free Economic Zones, which was interrupted on the previous day, was debated.

The NA Vice Speaker Samvel Balasanyan delivered an extraordinary speech.

Welcoming the submitted draft law, Mr Balasanyan noted that the adoption of the bill would be a serious impetus for the development of the economy and investments in the disaster zone, which would reduce the level of the unemployment.

Opposite opinions also sounded on the bill.

RA Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan submitted for the debate the elaborated draft law On RA National Academy of Sciences.

In the second half of the day, in accordance with the NA Rules of Procedure, the parliament in the first reading On Making Amendments and Addenda to the Law On Minimum Basket of the Social Welfare and Maximum Budget of the Social Welfare.

NA RPA and ARF factions presented their positions on the issue.

The deputies in the first reading debated the draft law on Making Addenda to RA Law On Value Added Tax.

The Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Agriculture and Evironment Khachik Harutyunyan submitted the endorsement, noting that the adoption of the bill would boost the development of the agriculture.

At the end of the working day, in accordance with the NA Rules of Procedure, the deputies made statements.