A Cabinet meeting was held today, chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

The Government made a decision to ensure traffic safety and continuity on the bridge over the Ddmashen regional highway. The reference note says that the recent partial collapse poses serious threats to traffic through the bridge since the non-collapsed section is in emergency condition.

Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Suren Papikyan noted that the bridge in Ddmashen is of vital importance to the community. According to the Minister, 12.5 million drams will be allocated for the repair of the bridge. He stressed that this amount will be drawn from Gegharkunik regional administration’s savings.

The Executive approved a package of draft laws on amending the Tax Code of the Republic of Armenia, as well as the RA laws on “Roads,” “On Advertising” and other related legal acts. The drafts, in particular, suggest exempting social advertising from taxation. Suren Papikyan highlighted the proposed bill, especially in terms of ensuring balanced and proportionate territorial development. He called it a step aimed at power decentralization.

The Government approved the proposal to sign the “COVID-19 Response Program” grant agreement between the Asian Development Bank and the Republic of Armenia. The proceeds of the grant will be used by the Ministry of Healthcare to purchase medical supplies and equipment in the framework of the fight against COVID-19.

Minister of Healthcare Arsen Torosyan said the grant amounts to USD 2 million. He stressed that this is not the first time the Asian Development Bank has supported our country; for a long time now, the Bank has been providing comprehensive assistance to Armenia.