Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Air Communications To Be Liberalized In Armenia
A Cabinet sitting was held today, chaired by Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan.
The government first approved a program to ensure competitive and continued provision of air transport services, established a project implementation task force and endorsed its composition.
After assessing several draft projects, it turned out that the policy of open skies will have the greatest positive impact on the economy, leading to jobs and growth in the number of passengers, as well as to reduced flight tariffs. The meeting set up a task force was set up, headed by the Minister of Economy and approved its composition.
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan reminded that there have been heated discussions over this issue and there were many contradictory approaches, from strict regulation up to the option of maximum liberalization.
“In order to take the best decision over this issue of strategic importance, the President ordered the National Competitiveness Council to sign a contract with one of the world’s most famous companies McKinsey. The latter hired the best professionals in this sector in order to develop a strategy for the Republic of Armenia.
The strategy was twice discussed with the President of the Republic of Armenia. McKinsey presented detailed reports and analyses, their experts visited Armenia several times and the result was a concept which is now submitted to your judgment.
According to the world’s best experts in this field, Armenia should go along the path of liberalization to promote GDP growth, create new jobs and make passenger traffic more comfortable and less expensive.
These are those basic principles reflected in our strategy, which specifies steps, measures and the timing of how these reforms should be carried out in the Republic of Armenia. We still have 5 days to work with the professionals of McKinsey in order to localize this paper to the maximum possible extent and make it feasible for our country. I am therefore asking all the stakeholders to continue working with the Minister of Economy. McKinsey experts will be available to provide all-out assistance, additional explanations and advice.”
The government passed a dozen decisions to amend relevant decrees adopted in 2002-2012 concerning the licensing process, the procedure for free granting of repatriation certificates, the approval of Dilijan International School program and a list of project implementation entities.
The Government approved a set of draft amendments to the Judicial Code of the Republic of Armenia and 8 other laws to create a new independent and self-governing judicial body – the Council of Judges, introduce a more efficient system of distribution of cases among judges, enact the principle of mandatory reporting by courts and judges, as well as to appoint court presidents for a limited period of time.
The meeting agenda comprised some 60 items altogether.
