On September 17 NA Speaker Artur Baghdasaryan had a working visit at Shirak marz (region) this year for the third time.

NA Speaker Artur Baghdasaryan within the frameworks of the National Assembly with the American “Habitat” organization and a group of MPs of “Orinats Yerkir” (Rule of Law) faction participated in the construction of the house of the deceased freedom fighter’s widow, Sonya Ispiryan in Maralik and Gevorg Karagashyan in Gyumri. An appropriate sum was allocated from NA Speaker’s fund for getting necessary construction material. NA Speaker Artur Baghdasaryan noted that the action will be turned into public movement, and the aim is to provide the vulnerable families of the marzes of Armenia with flat. They will apply to all MPs and businessmen with the proposal of participating in the programme. “I would like to serve as an example with my experience. Many people already expressed wish to join us. We’ve started from Kharberd village of Masis, three houses have already been constructed there. We’ll build 150 houses at the first stage. We’ll have appropriate calculation and we’ll help the more vulnerable people. In different places, for example, in Maralik, there are numerous half-built houses: we’d like to construct them and provide them to the inhabitants. In all marzes we’ll assist hundreds of families,” said Artur Baghdasaryan.

NA Speaker met the inhabitants of Azatan village and Gyumri.

According to Robert Charkhifalakyan, deputy head of Azatan village, Azatan, having nearly 5600 citizens tries to solve its problems by itself, but without state support it is impossible to solve certain issues. The water pipes in the village are out of order, the road and the house of culture need to be repaired. There isn’t a kindergarten in the largest village of the republic. Automatic telephone exchange is ready, but hasn’t got connection license from “ArmenTel.” The village citizens are concerned with the issue of harvest use and the law price of wheat.

The NA President promised to promote in solving the problem of the school’s property and in reopening of the kindergarten, also the issue of automatic telephone exchange to clarify with “ArmenTel.”

- In case of the price of wheat we deal with incomprehensive realities, the law and high prices of wheat and bread witnesses on current shady things, which needs to be clarified. The NA Control Chamber has got the order to study the issue. In general, centralization of property is noticed in the country. It’s dangerous, and we must do everything for the property not to be stored in a few persons’ hand. There must be established an average layer in the country. There’s a positive transfer in this case during recent 1-2 years, but there’s much to be done, said the NA President.

The Azatan inhabitants are also concerned with the increase of the fuel prices. Artur Baghdasaryan answered that it was a worldwide activity but the state intervention is necessary in order to escape sharp dangerous fluctuations. There are many unfair things in Armenia, many unsolved problems, but we go ahead step by step. The Azatan citizens were also interested in the speculated issue of returning the deposits. Artur Baghdasaryan informed that within forthcoming two months the issue will be debated in the Parliament.

In Gyumri the NA President talked on the inter-political condition of the country. “The meeting is a regular working one, we came to listen to people, return with the load of applications because I enjoy to solve the people’s problems, after which you can sleep with clear conscience and be happy for you’ve been useful. We’ve already got more than 100 letters. I think that the authority must be always close to its people. The authority, which is afraid of its people, tries to control the people and the authority, which deals with the people must always be able to share its viewpoints with the people, try to solve current problems. The OYe was the only faction that within four years increased its votes by 4,5 times in the NA. After the elections we declared that in many regions our votes were reduced. This means that the organization of free, fair and transparent elections is a priority problem for us. If we want a dignified country, and have a strong power, which has a strong authority among the people, we must go through that way. He/she, who sells his/her vote for several thousands of drams, he/she sells the future of his/her own child. The authority established through bribery, takes care only of itself. The elections for local self-government body are not far away and I implore to elect with conscience. The forthcoming pan-state elections we’ll be vital for our nation, we’ll become either a clan, buried under various “razborcas” (clashes) country or independent, democratic, competitive country, having an authority in the world. One of its preconditions is the organization of the normal elections. During recent 10-15 years people were always dissatisfied with the authorities, as many unfair things, unsolved problems are accumulated. First of all people, want justice. And for organizing all this, I consider very important the role of the political institutions in the public. The political institutions must govern the country but not the regional dignitaries. Today, the whole world goes with that direction. We must state a political responsibility and for it we must all think of governing the country through political mechanisms, be consistent for the adopted laws to run.

The constitutional amendments are serious imperative today. There are different viewpoints on it, but one thing is clear: we must go through the way to decentralize the authority, to reduce the powers of the RA President, to strengthen the role of NA and to provide the independence of the courts.Combating corruption, the deepening of the democratic amendments and the creation of free society are our priority problems. Corruption can’t be combated by talking, we must act, which is often very difficult because there are firmed layers in various spheres, which hamper the amendments, but we must understand one thing: those who hamper the peaceful amendments, they are supporting bloody revolutions. For that we must go through the way of making amendments and not through revolutions. The NA has a tool i.e. the Control Chamber. Before I was elected in the post of the NA President, the systems of police, national security, Office of Public Procurator, duty and customs bodies were close for the NA, for the first time, within 15 years those doors were opened for the NA and the Control Chamber, but it was not easy. All the institutions must have financial, transparent records, but this is a way, the first step of which has been done and must be continued. I sent the results of the check ups to the Office of Public Procurator, in the result of which 500.000 USD in one direction, 800.000 USD in another direction, and a budget was restored and three criminal proceedings were taken against. This is not much, but steps are being made, we must be consistent for fighting against unfair things.

We want to serve as an example. I state on implementing a wide public movement with the international organization “Habitat,” the center of which is in the USA. Recently, during the visit to the USA, I had some concrete agreements with them, i. e. to help the needy families in organizing the house construction. Up to the end of the month we’ll help 15 families. I call everybody to join us. All together we are to do a useful thing.”

After the meeting the NA President answered the journalists’ questions.

-Today, only the MPs of the OYE faction participate in this action. The others didn’t know about it, did they? Or it is only the MPs of OYE faction responded to it.

- We also invited the MPs of Maralik, Artik, but as there are the forthcoming elections of local self-government bodies, we didn’t want to deal with those elections, as there can be different kind of observations. The NA staff joined the action and the members of OYe faction.

- What does the assistance suppose?

- It supposes job, today the volunteer’s movement is rather spread in the world, to come and work for the people free of charge. Also we suppose assistance in construction material and financial support. We take the help in incomplete flats and the flats of vulnerable families on us. They must be the beneficiaries. We can’t help everybody, but it is necessary to help the people without biting each other’s throat. The American Habitat accepted my presented program with great enthusiasm and here the journalists must be involved for the propaganda.

- You promised to solve the problems of Azatan inhabitants: when can be the results expected ?

- This year I’ll visit Azatan, we’ll open the newly built school. I promised to assist in the issue of the property and so on. We are the men of our words. We’ll visit to Azatan once again and I haven’t the intention of bowing my head. Not all the issues can be solved, but we are ready to listen to the people.

- By what is conditioned the cold attitude of the faction OYe towards the elections of local self-government bodies? There’s no activeness in the communities of Yerevan.

- I had public proposal of conducting fair and transparent elections. We must know that it is necessary to organize fair elections for building a normal country. We can’t go ahead through bribe, lies and terror. We take part in the elections as we had planned. I call people to elect those whom they believe and trust.

- Are you going to join the signature gathering of convening an extraordinary session related to the restoration of the deposits?

- The conclusion of the Parliamentary committee was positive, and then a new committee was created, the activity of which will be summed up in the nearest future. Then the issue will be debated through regular or extraordinary session. First of all, we must decide whether to give or not to give then speak on indexation.