Officials in Kotayk region unaware of people's living standards (video)
Two months after his appointment as Governor of Armenia’s Kotayk region, Aram Harutyunyan does not yet know possess definite information on migration and poverty rates in the region. “If you want concrete figures, I can ask my subordinates to provide you with all of the information you need. At this moment, I do not possess any information,” Mr Harutyunyan said on Wednesday. Nor could the governor say anything about the standard of living of the region's population. He only stressed that people pay taxes in time. “I cannot assess people’s living conditions at the moment. The assessment is given by people,” said the governor. Anyway, Aram Harutyunyan does not think that the quality of life has deteriorated in Armenia: during his visits to different communities he talked to people and they voiced their complaints and problems. “People feel free to speak about their problems and concerns,” he said. Mayor of Charentsavan town [in Kotayk region] Hakob Shahgeldyan, the son of former governor of Kotayk region Kovalenko Shahgaldyan, has been in office for 6 years, but he could not present figures on migration either. “No one will give you such figures,” he said. Hakob Shahgeldyan has observed a big inflow of people from Yerevan and other regions to his town which has three working factories. “They sell their apartments in Yerevan and other regions and move to Charentsavan,” said the mayor. Hakob Shahgeldyan refrained from commenting on his relations with the new governor.
