ONLY THE REPUBLICAN ENDORSED PRIVATIZATION

Lragir.am
12 April 06

On April 11 the National Assembly devoted all the three sittings
to the question of confirming the Report on Privatization of State
Property 2001-2003, but this time was not enough. The speeches of
the speakers and committee chairs were put off for the next day.

However, today already it is obvious that the opposition, part of
independent members of parliament and the Orinats Yerkir Party
disapprove the plan. The Republican endorsed it, the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation did not say anything. Both the opposition
and pro-governmental members of parliament point to the low prices of
privatization. MP Victor Dallakyan mentioned that a company assessed
at 5 billion was sold for 976 million, another company assessed at
3 billion was privatized for 150 million. Yet another company with
a value of 125 million was sold for 34 million and so on. Besides,
Victor Dallakyan mentioned a name. The minister of trade and economic
development Karen Chshmarityan bought several buildings on Koryun
Street for only 45 million dollars. “In the same neighborhood a
three-room apartment costs 150 thousand dollars, 75 million drams,”
added Victor Dallakyan to compare, and urged to condemn those facts and
not to adopt the report. The others were not happy with privatization
either. Aghasi Arshakyan, for instance, said it is not privatization
but total pillage. Hovanes Margaryan said Orbita Company assessed at
3.212 billion was sold for 116 million. Only this deal inflicted a
loss of 3.5 billion drams on us. These billions, he said, belong to
the country. Manuk Gasparyan stated that privatization is supposed
to be transparent whereas, he says, there is no transparency at all,
and the deal of Hrazdan 5 was a concealed anti-national deal. Aram
Sargsyan said, “The program of privatization was worked out to
enable pillage. This economic policy is corrupt, if carried on it
will destroy our sovereignty.”

Arshak Sadoyan said, “We give our blood and nervous system to
aliens.” Heghineh Bisharyan said, “The companies that were not included
in the program were privatized on government’s decisions.”

On April 12 the representatives of committees and Speaker Arthur
Baghdasaryan will address the parliament. Arthur Baghdasaryan promised
to bring facts of illegal actions. The speaker of parliament expressed
concern in the form of questions: how does it happen that one of the
two neighboring buildings is assessed at 1000 drams, the other 100
thousand drams. Details on April 12.