ARMENIA'S PARLIAMENT PASSES FOUR LAWS RELATED TO

S E C R E T YEREVAN 000649 NOFORN SIPDIS DEPARTMENT EUR/PRA, ISN/CATR, INR/SPM, DOD FOR DASD CELESTE WALLANDER, COMMERCE FOR ROCHELLE WOODARD E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/16/2019 TAGS: ETTC PARM PINR AM SUBJECT: ARMENIA'S PARLIAMENT PASSES FOUR LAWS RELATED TO MUNITIONS EXPORT CONTROLS REF: A. YEREVAN 607 ¶B. SECSTATE 33655 ¶C. YEREVAN 534 ¶D. YEREVAN 436 ¶E. YEREVAN 565 ¶F. PUTNEY-DALTON E-MAIL 9/1/09 Classified By: DCM Joseph Pennington, reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (S/NF) As promised by GOAM interlocutors, Armenia's parliament on September 16 passed the four draft laws related to munitions export controls that they undertook to pass in September as part of their commitments in the Joint Action Plan. The four draft laws that were passed included amendments to the Laws on Licensing, Stamp Duties, Weapons, and a law amending the Criminal Code. ¶2. (S/NF) Both the MoD and an MP in parliament confirmed to the Embassy that the laws had indeed been passed during the September 16 session, in only the second reading. (COMMENT: Usually draft laws require three readings before they are passed, so the fact that only two readings were required suggests their passage was assigned a high priority by the chamber's leadership as they introduced them to parliament. END COMMENT.) Now, as per the constitution, the passed draft laws go to the president for his signature, who statutorily has 21 days to sign and enact legislation proposed to him by parliament. ¶3. (S/NF) The Embassy will track the status of the passed laws with the Presidency, and the Ambassador and DCM expect to raise this issue in a dinner meeting with the president the evening of September 17. Given the president's repeated expression of support for fulfilling the Plan, we expect his signature to be pro forma and provided sooner rather than later. The Embassy will notify Washington as soon as he signs the four laws. YOVANOVITCH