The November 15 session of the Government of Armenia passed a resolution on privatization of newspaper stalls belonging to the Press Dissemination Agency (“Haymamoul” State Close Joint Stock Company). To remind, a few months ago the RA Ministry of State Property submitted a privatization project to the Government (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, September 15-21, 2001).
Thus, 306 newspaper stalls are to be privatized in a two-month period, and the stall vendors will be given an advantage. The privatization will be conducted under the following procedure: within one month, purchase contracts will be signed with “Haymamoul”; the price of the stalls will be gradually discharged in the course of five months, one half of it to be paid off within the first month. One of the requirements is that at least for five years the stalls hold on their direct function, i.e. keep on selling newspapers and magazines even if the stall owner is changed.
The finances generated from privatization “Haymamoul” will proportionally allocate to clear off the current credit obligations of the Agency to the print media.
The session also heard the issue of privatization of the “Haymamoul” shares. The Ministry of State Property was assigned to submit recommendations on the subject to the Government in a three-month period.
