The Armenian Government Rejects Opposition MP's Bill

The Armenian government did not approve the bill proposed by Gegham Nazaryan, a member of the National Assembly’s 'Armenia' faction, regarding 'Guarantees for the Family Members of Soldiers Who Died for the Defense of the Republic of Armenia' during today’s cabinet meeting.

The bill was presented for discussion by the NA President Alen Simonyan on July 2 and was requested to be put into circulation according to established procedures.

Nazaryan mentioned in his proposed legislation that there is currently a situation in the legislative framework concerning this area, where the social security guarantees and benefits prescribed by Armenian legislation for the families of deceased soldiers are provided through various articles in different laws and individual decisions by the government, ministries, and local self-government bodies.

“There is a necessity to consolidate all of this into a single law. By taking this step, the parliament and the government will express their gratitude to the soldiers who gave their lives for the homeland, and to their family members,” the bill’s justification states.

According to the MP, this law addresses not just material and social security issues but a much more significant matter: the state and society's attitude towards the families of soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the homeland.

The Armenian government noted in its justification that there are problematic provisions in the draft. For example, the necessity for adopting the law is not fully disclosed in the accompanying justification.

“With this draft, the Government of the Republic of Armenia would assume unquantifiable conditional obligations. Therefore, the Government proposes to refrain from adopting the bill,” the executive body’s justification stated.

Additionally, MP Nazaryan mentioned that the adoption of the law would not significantly increase the government’s financial burden or that it would not increase to an extent that could pose issues for state operations. In response, the government indicated that the adoption of the draft would lead to a decrease in the state budget’s revenues.