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The National Assembly of Armenia adopted on Friday the legislative amendments to the country’s “Law on State Procurement” debated at the extraordinary session. The legislation was passed in the second reading by a voting of 77 in favor, 22 abstentions and 2 against votes.

Before the voting, Head of Parliament Economic Relations Standing Committee Vardan Ayvazyan stated the legislation does not relate to the financial reports of the top three high-ranking officials but to the protocol-related spending that would not be publicly released.

“If they decide to have meal in a restaurant the amount of the expense will be kept secret” Ayvazyan gave an example.

Earlier Finance Minister Vardan Aramyan, who acted as the main reporter of the legislative amendments, suggested to include protocol-related expenses for Armenia’s President, Prime Minister and Speaker of the Parliament in the procurement list containing state secret

“We looked at the international experience. This appears to be a matter of key security norm. We tend to view those expenses as a procurement involving state secret to ensure the normal work of the above-mentioned posts,” Aramyan clarified.