OREANDA-NEWS. May 14, 2010. A regular, sixth meeting of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan of the fourth convocation was conducted to debate new draft laws and statutory acts elaborated in compliance with the complex programme aimed at updating the national legislation. In view of the importance of the draft legislative acts to be debated the representatives of the relevant ministries and departments, the law enforcement officers and journalists were invited to attend the parliamentary meeting.

It was noted that the laws had been elaborated in the context of the current development priorities of the Turkmen state and in compliance with the guidelines set by President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov at the first meeting of the Parliament of the fourth convocation. The key aspects of the policy of progressive reforms initiated by the national leader and embodied in the principle “a state for the people” included further modernizing and bringing laws of Turkmenistan in compliance with the major provisions of the basic law and universally recognized norms of international law.

The parliamentarians debated the draft laws “On the Amendments and Additions to the Criminal Code of Turkmenistan and the Approval of the new Criminal Code” and “On Advocateship and Advocating Activity in Turkmenistan”. It was noted that speaking at the National Security Council meeting, which had taken place on March 1, 2010, the national leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov had underscored the need to fundamentally reform the law enforcement system and undertake new tasks of improving the work of the law enforcement authorities at the current stage. The priority measures included improvement of the legal framework regulating the law enforcement activity in compliance with new requirements.

With the view of fulfilling the tasks set by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to further liberalize the criminal procedure legislation, the relevant amendments and additions had been introduced to the draft laws related to reduction of a term of imprisonment for grave crime, introduction of fines as a kind of punishment, qualitative transformation and enhancement of the role and significance of advocateship, etc.

The new articles aimed at combating terrorism and economic offences had been added the draft Law “On the Amendments and Additions to the Criminal Code of Turkmenistan and the Approval of the New Code”. Those speaking at the meeting emphasized that these draft laws would play a critical role in ensuring protection of human rights and freedoms in our country.

The important documents included the draft law “On Seed Growing” that had been elaborated in compliance with the major goals of the strategy for fundamental reforms in the agricultural sector pursued by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. The draft law laid the legal foundation for the activity related to production, procumbent, processing, storage, selling, transportation and use of seeds of agricultural and forest plants and organizing and conducting variety and seed control.

The draft law “On Tourism” had been elaborated to achieve the goals of the programme aimed at developing and modernizing tourism infrastructure in Turkmenistan. Unlike the current law, the draft law established the major principles of the state policy in this field and contained a new chapter “Tourism Economics” which set forth the major aspects of economic activity and investment regulation in the tourism sector, sources of financing, etc. The draft law contained the new articles spotlighting the major conditions influencing entrepreneurial activity in this field.

The important draft laws put on the meeting agenda included the draft law “On International Agreements of Turkmenistan” that set forth the procedures of concluding, implementing and terminating international agreements of Turkmenistan. This draft law was aimed at implementing the foreign policy strategy at the current stage.

The parliamentarians debated the draft law “On Local Executive Authority” elaborated in compliance with the new Constitution and the proposals to update the laws on local executive authority. The deputies emphasized that the adoption of this law would be of paramount importance in legislative control of the activity of local executive authorities.

The draft law “On the Amendments and Additions to the Legislative Acts of Turkmenistan” that provided for introducing the amendments to the Administrative Code, the Tax Code, the Laws “On Licensing the Particular Kinds of Activity”, “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in Turkmenistan”, “On Migration” was put on the meeting agenda.

The deputies debated the draft resolutions of the Mejlis “On Some Issues of the Political Division of Turkmenistan” and “The List of the Political Units of Turkmenistan”.

The deputies approved and unanimously adopted the draft laws elaborated in compliance with the national interests of Turkmenistan and universally recognized norms of international law.

In conclusion the parliamentarians expressed belief that the draft laws adopted would contribute to further strengthening the legal framework and the progress of the country on the path of reforms.