The office of the President of Armenia spent 200 million drams on president’s aircraft services. According to the report by one-person purchases, the President’s office has paid this amount to “Air Armenia” airline, which includes the flight costs of the President of Armenia: airplane meal, ground handling services, fuel, parking fees, pilots’ salaries and per diem costs.
Note that the office of the President of Armenia has concluded the agreement with the aircraft company on 100 million drams once, on June 30, and one more time, on August 29 for the same amount. On July 10, this year, the government staff has again paid 19 million 200 thousand drams to “Air Armenia” for a special flight, and again about 17 million drams for a special flight for the month of June. One-person made purchases not yet published how much money the trip of Hovik Abrahamyan and his delegation to the U.S. cost to taxpayers. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs ranks the 3rd with regard to spending millions on the account of taxpayers for the business trips or official visits. The trip of Minister Edward Nalbandyan and 4 persons accompanying him to Ankara on August costs 5.4 million drams from the state budget.
Note that the minister visited Ankara to attend the inauguration ceremony of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The Minister left for Ankara with his delegation by Yerevan-Moscow-Munich-Ankara flight route. One-person purchase contract reads that 5.4 million drams includes the per diems and the cost of lodgings for the delegation in Ankara and Moscow. This agency has paid 2 million drams for sending the former Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan as an Ambassador of Armenia to the U.S. Tigran Sargsyan was sent to the U.S. by Yerevan-Paris-Washington flight on business class. On August 8-11, this year, 705 thousand drams was spent from the state budget for Minister Nalbandyan’s business trip by Yerevan-Krasnodar-Sochi-Moscow, per diem and lodging. And on August 3-6, 820 thousand drams was spent for Edward Nalbandyan’s trip to Belgium and France. The one-person purchase report shows that the overwhelming part of the purchases made by this agency is spent on acquisition of the air tickets, which is logical with regard to the functions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Nelly BABAYAN
