Due to the subjective and objective reasons there is no coalition created in Armenia yet, which will undertake the burden to conduct the monitoring in public procurement sector. Mr. Karen Zadoyan, the President of the Armenian Lawyer’s Association, “Commitment to Constructive Dialogue” Project Manager said this at the meeting with Mr. Karen Tamazyan, Deputy Minister of Finance f the RA. Mr. Zadoyan also added that the program is aimed at filling in the existing gap.
This project should have 9 target areas, 3 areas have already been selected. The management staff of the project is conducting meetings with the representatives of the government and CSOs for the selection of the 6 remaining areas the project. This time they had a meeting at the Ministry of Finance.
“The issues of the business sector in general are clear for us. They are problems related to public procurement, free competition, licenses, permits, customs and tax issues, which are primary at present,” Mr. Zadoyan said and added that the business coalition is able to raise general as well as particular problems and try to find solutions.
Further he presented the project, its components, and the details of the grants section, the process of mapping and selection of CSO.
Deputy Finance Minister Karen Tamazyan positively assessed the initiative, saying, “I think the targeted purpose, namely increase the dialogue with the government, for the achievement of joint results, would be useful.”
The circumstance that he separated was ensuring mutual communication. The Deputy Minister suggested the program representatives to establish effective cooperation with public relations and other target sections in each state body, as well as to train their members.
Mr. Tamazyan considered licensing sector as a target area.
During the meeting the parties reached an agreement on further cooperation in the future. The Deputy Minister of Finance, as a first step towards cooperation expressed willingness to provide information on the target areas of the ministry’s activities, including the data on the CSO coalitions that are actively working with the Ministry of Finance.
During the meeting, Hakob Avagyan, the President of SME Cooperation Association, who would coordinate the business and related sectors of the project, noted the importance of creating a coalition to protect business interests and singled out the issues that are crucial.
Ms Lusine Mkrtchyan, the Press Secretary of the Ministry of Finance who was at the meeting as well, will visit the Armenian Lawyers’ Association to familiarized and get a broader understanding of the ALA’s activities as well as to plan the issues of upcoming cooperation
The “Commitment to Constructive Dialogue” Project is implemented with the financial support of the European Union by the “Armenian Lawyers’ Association” NGO in cooperation with its partners; Agora Central Europe o.p.s (an NGO from the Czech Republic), Armenian Center for Democratic Education-CIVITAS, “International Center for Human Development” Public Organization, SME Cooperation Association and Union of Communities of Armenia.
Gevorg Tosunyan
Aleksander Sargsyan
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