In which restaurant Serzh Sargsyan dines will remain secret (video)
At the beginning of the special sitting of the Armenian National Assembly, Armenian Parliament Speaker Galust Sahakyan said the legislature would work without interruptions until the last item on the agenda was put on discussion. Twenty-seven projects discussed at the previous sitting were put to a vote. Before the draft amendments to the Law on Procurement (LoP) was put to a vote, Aram Manukyan, Secretary of the Armenian National Congress (HAK) faction, said many lawmakers do not even manage to get acquainted with changes envisaged in laws as they are introduced to Parliament very rapidly. “According to press reports, the expenses of the NA Speaker, Prime Minister and President will be kept secret under this law. Let someone explain to us, because the results of the vote depend on it,” the opposition lawmaker said. "I do not know about that, I have read it in the newspaper," Galust Sahakyan said frankly. Vardan Ayvazyan, a lawmaker representing the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), spoke instead of the NA Speaker. “It refers to ceremonial procurements which are to be carried out in a closed order. If you believe the press, then you should believe this law, too. The closed order does not refer to budgeted expenditures or reports, rather, it refers to meals in a restaurant. Should there be new changes, I shall inform you,” Galust Sahakyan said jokingly. In the long run, the HAK abstained from voting while HHK lawmakers Vazgen Karakhanyan and Artak Davtyan voted for their absent colleagues.
