YEREVAN, JUNE 3, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian parliament today approved at the final hearing the bill on amending the law on State Duty whereby a 14,000 dram per ton duty will be set on imported cement from Iran.

85 lawmakers voted in favor, while 16 were against and 3 abstained.

The bill was passed as a group of construction workers were staging protests outside the parliament building. The demonstrators were arguing that the law will increase the prices of cement.

Babken Tunyan, chair of the economic affairs committee of the Armenian parliament said they will definitely meet the demonstrators and discuss the matter.

Earlier in April, the bill was voted down by the opposition.

The Prosperous Armenia Party wanted the country to also have a state duty for importing clinker, a component for manufacturing cement.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan