Lilit Tadevosyan

A minor tiff broke out today in Armenia’s parliament during a discussion of the 2016 draft national budget.

Vardan Ayvazyan, Chair of the Standing Committee on Economic Matters, asked Minister of Transportation and Communications Gagik Beglaryan why the price of passenger tickets to Batumi had increased of late.

“I asked a question. You didn’t hear. Let me repeat it. If you want, let the deputy minister of finance respond,” Ayvazyan addressed Beglaryan.

“There’s no need. I will answer. Why are you annoyed Mr. Ayvazyan?” Beglaryan replied.

Beglaryan went on to say that according to the initial contractual agreement, it was decided that if a certain amount of revenue wasn’t derived from passenger transport, then the Armenian government would make up the difference.

“I don’t know if at the time you, Mr. Ayvazyan, were a member of parliament. But we are implementing the letter of the contract. If it contains mistakes, we are intervening so that prices don’t rise willy-nilly. Those organizations have even been audited this year,” said Beglaryan.

Ayvazyan then started to praise the work of being carried out in the transportation sector.

In response, Beglaryan rhetorically asked if he was obligated to explain the work of his ministry if Ayvazyan was presenting all the positive work being done by it.

Photo: Vardan Ayvazyan