SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT CUTS FUNDING OF A PUBLIC ORGANIZATION

Panorama.am
16:57 23/08/06

"The National Assembly is not a donor agency for public organizations,’
Tigran Torosyan, speaker of the National Assembly, told a press
conference today. The speaker came to such a conclusion after he
learned that the parliament has provided 20 mln Armenian dram to the
Armenian-Russian Inter-regional Center.

Torosyan met with the head of the public organization, H. Bakunts,
and learned that the activities of the center have nothing to do with
the parliament. The parliament had already made the first installment
in the amount of 10 mln Armenian dram, so Torosyan could only stop
the second installment.

Torosyan has also fired some employees of the parliament, who have
nothing to do with the National Assembly, as Torosyan said. Meanwhile,
the speaker claims that he has no intentions to liquidate departments
and units created by his predecessor Arthur Baghdasaryan. In the
words of the speaker, he wants to raise effectiveness and efficiency
of the parliament.

Some 40 employees were laid off as a result of liquidations launched by
Speaker Torosyan. He is going to liquidate also the councils affiliated
to NA speaker staff. Torosyan said many groups and factions support
him in these endeavors but also said that Orinats Yerkir is not among
them.