MP Ayvazyan doesn’t deny he has a stake MP Vardan Ayvazyan has neither denied nor verified his involvement in the sale of 35% of Bounty Resources Armenia stock to the Chinese company Fortune Oil on January 12, Hetq covered the major sale of mining stock last week. Bounty Resources is owned by two Armenian MP’s – Vardan Ayvazyan and Tigran Arzakantsyan.

“Let that remain a secret as well. Why do you really have to know anyway? If knowing doesn’t benefit you as a reporter, your readers definitely won’t be interested in knowing,” MO Ayvazyan said. MP Ayvazyan says he would welcome the chance to operate a mine with Tigran Arzakantsyan. “In general, I’d welcome the operation of any mine. It seems to me that this Chinese company, that wants to invest about $100 million and employ 2,000, is a great thing that cannot be equaled. It’s still be reviewed and discussed. I expect that very shortly the preliminary contract will be signed and operations commenced. The government will also kick in another $50 million. Good; no? I have never seen foreigners come here, build a factory and then transfer it back to their home country, like a few reporters are declaring,” said Ayvazyan, adding that while it was no secret that he was interested in mining , he was blasé about gold, molybdenum and other precious metals. MP Ayvazyan confessed that he was only interested in the black metal – iron ore.

“”Why shouldn’t I be interested? Is it a crime in Armenia to engage in commercial enterprise? I would welcome anyone who invests in Armenia and develops the country. By law, natural resources are the property of the state. Why is everyone getting bent out of shape?” Getting back to the matter of jointly running a business with Tigran Arzakantsyan, Ayvazyan noted that the two are on good terms. “What we have in common is the company and our friendship. He’s a regular guy. He has his business as well and our commercial interests don’t collide,” said Ayvazyan, correcting his own slip of the tongue that he presently isn’t engaged in any commercial business and that he’s only a shareholder in the Charentsavan “Kortzikashinakan” factory. “The processing of metals takes place there and instruments are manufactured. Most of the goods are exported overseas. Nothing is sold in Armenia,” MP Ayvazyan said. When we asked MP Ayvazyan to name his business concerns, he replied that we could take a look at his official income statement. When I replied that it was impossible to cull information regarding an MP’s business holdings from the affidavits given to journalists, Vardan Ayvazyan laughed. “Why don’t they provide such information? It means that there are standards of correctness to be followed. Officials are people as well. I can tell you that my being a member of parliament in no way impacts on my business dealings.”

In 2009, MP Vardan Ayvazyan reported 3,147,700 as income; his official salary as a legislator. What happened to his revenues from the Charentsavan “Kortzikashinakan” plant? Only MP Ayvazyan and the tax authorities can say for sure.