Unlawful seizure of state funds is main reason for lack of confidence - Diaspora businessman (video)
Kuwaiti-Armenian businessman Kirakos Guyumjian says the misuse of state funds became the main reason behind mistrust towards the authorities inside Armenia and in the Diaspora. “The state money should be in safe hands. In this sense, I hear hateful opinions which worry me a lot. They say that state property will go to the hands of individuals. Those people should be brought to justice. If such a thing happens and spreads massively, do not expect any development in our homeland. Corruption should be eradicated in our homeland,” the businessman said in conversation with A1+ Company. Mr. Guyumjian arrived in Armenia to participate in the Sixth Armenia-Diaspora Conference which was entitled “Mutual Confidence, Unity, and Responsibility.” He says though the authorities [in Armenia] have taken certain steps to correct the situation in the country, distrust still prevails among Diaspora Armenians. “That distrust largely affects the decisions of Diaspora businessmen. People who failed in businesses say that they have encountered such problems and bring examples for others, saying this or that person came and faced problems, beware of the same thing…” In this sense, the businessman emphasizes the speech of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, made during the conference. “He [Aram I] also used the words ‘to put a finger on the wound’ and he himself put his finger on the wound, there can be no doubt about that. What he said is very consonant with the concerns of Diaspora Armenians. Perhaps, the patriarch knew that there had not been many changes since the previous conference and he spoke with the same harshness and with the same vocabulary. That's really worrying.” Kirakos Guyumjian has a construction business in Kuwait. He wants to make investments in his homeland. His brother, Hakob, has already started a car business in Armenia. “He has a serious business. I intend to import [to Armenia] building materials. I have bought a piece of land; I will arrange the goods and start my business,” he said. When asked which option is more preferable for a Diaspora businessman – Armenia’s membership to the European Union or Eurasian Economic Union, Mr. Guyumjian said both structures are attractive in terms of economic and security issues. It is important that we take a right decision, he stressed. “If we were left to decide ourselves we would have decided long ago ignoring all obstacles on the way. But it is not so, we are a small nation, and if others make one or two calculations before their final decision, we have to calculate ten times to make this kind of serious, fatal decision,” Mr. Guyumjian said.
