The meeting of the council on struggle against corruption presided by Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan that took place in the government a few days ago was boycotted by the Armenian National Congress (ANC) and the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP). www.aravot.am inquired during a conversation with Naira Zohrabyan, the secretary of the PAP parliamentary group, whether they didn’t regret that they hadn’t participated in the meeting taking into account the process and results of the meeting or they stuck to their position.
Ms. Zohrabyan said, “The meeting convinced us once again that we had made the right decision. Not being against the lecturers in struggle against corruption, I think that one should take concrete steps. We proposed a concrete step; our proposal has not been accepted. Moreover, the charter of that commission was sent to us, a long story, which implies that we cannot make concrete proposals. If the council revises its decision and takes into account the proposals made to the council by political forces, we will discuss the issue of our participation. After the first meeting, we became convinced once again that our decision not to participate in the meetings of this council had been the right one.”
We inquired of Hrant Bagratyan, an ANC parliamentary group member, whether the ANC stuck to its opinion not to participate in the meetings taking into account the results of the meeting of the council on struggle against corruption or it had changed its opinion. Mr. Bagratyan replied, “The Prime Minister mocks. The Prime Minister struggling against corruption increases subsidies in the budget and hands them out to the providers and not consumers. One asks the respective minister why they don’t give money to the farmer, he says that he will spend money on something else. We ask a question where more corruption is when you give money to the provider or to the farmer. He says in the first case. In that case, why do you encourage the first one? It is ridiculous, one’s heart cannot bear it anymore, the Prime Minister mocks everyone.”
In response to a question whether he had noticed particular intention to solve the problems while following the meeting, Mr. Bagratyan said, “Nothing, those are formal, unserious things, whereas corruption is a fundamental structural phenomenon for us.”
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Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
