Who backs whom: Opinions on new appointments differ (video)
The appointment of the three government ministers - Karen Chshmarityan, Narek Sargsyan and Armen Muradyan - was a wise and worthwhile choice, say Republican MP Vahram Baghdasaryan. He says it is no use yielding to temptations and trying to find out ‘who backs whom’ in the political field as ‘the search will affect the activity of the executive body.’ Karen Chshmarityan and Narek Sargsyan held offices during the term of office of the second president [Robert Kocahryan]. Health Minister Armen Muradyan is said to have friendly ties with Robert Kocharyan. “I do not want to differentiate between the teammates of the former and present presidents. People should be assessed for their work and activity,” said the Republican MP. The most surprising and unexpected was Narek Sargsyan’s appointment as Minister of Urban Development. Thanks to him, many citizens were deprived of their homes as their flats and houses were alienated for state or public needs and the expression “zone of alienation” was put into circulation. However, MP Vahram Baghdasaryan continues to insist on his opinion. “These people worked in the same team 2-3 years ago and today they continue to work together,” he said. For his part, Mikael Melkumyan, a lawmaker of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) said, “Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan has held different posts and worked with this team. Together, they witnessed economic growth in the country and the appointment is the logical continuation of their joint work.” Acting Justice Minister Hrayr Tovmasyan is not interested in the work history of the new ministers. “I am not going to comment on their background. The decision was made by the prime minister and president.” Asked whether the appointment was somehow linked to the recent consultations between Serzh Sargsyan and BHK, Mr Baghdasaryan said, “This is from the genre of fantasy.”
