TIGRAN TOROSYAN SURPRISED THE NEUROLOGIST
Lragir.am
28 Aug 06
Tigran Torosyan’s statement that the National Assembly will
suspend funding of NGOs, and skepticism about the activity of the
Armenian-Russian Center for Interregional Cooperation surprized
the neurologist Henrich Bakunts, who is the director of the
Armenian-Russian Center for Interregional Cooperation. He says there
is nothing strange about funding an NGO, because the parliaments of
a number of countries in the world fund NGOs, including the Russian
Duma, the Senates of France and the United States, the parliament
of Hungary. Henrich Bakunts says the Armenian-Russian Center for
Interregional Cooperation was set up after lasting negotiations, and
fosters Armenian-Russian economic, public, scientific and cultural
cooperation.
"For me Tigran Torosyan’s statement was a surprise, because there
should be no problems. The funding is not from the account of the
National Assembly, the government allocates the money to the National
Assembly for us. It is not fincanced from the National Assembly’s
funds," says Henrich Bakunts. He says the Center for Interregional
Cooperation is assisted by the Russian Duma, which pays the rent
and telephone bill of the Center. Henrich Bakunts says the office
is in Saint Petersburg, in a famous historical building, which
costs expensive and even surprised Russian figures, for it is in an
excellent and prestigious area. The director of the Armenian-Russian
Center for Interregional Cooperation says he even had a private talk
with Tigran Torosyan on this question, before his press conference and
statement. The speaker of the National Assembly said the government can
fund the center directly, not via the National Assembly. But Henrich
Bakunts says the circumstance of the National Assembly enhances the
reputation and status of the center, therefore the establishment and
activity of the center was supported by the former speaker Arthur
Baghdasaryan and the speaker of the both houses of the Russian Duma,
Grizlov and Mironov. Henrich Bakunts assures that he presented this
to Tigran Torosyan.
"All that I told you, I told more to him, and it was a warm
meeting. And I was satisfied with this meeting. He thanked me
and said we did considerable work in a short period, and frankly
speaking rather positive steps would be taken after our talk. For
me this statement was unexpected, believe me, very unexpected, that
there is such a center led by a certain Bakunts. I am not a certain,
I was the adviser to the speaker of the National Assembly for three
years, I am a member of the delegation, I made speeches in both our
parliament and in Russia, I was one of the founders of the center,"
says Henrich Bakunts. He cannot tell the reason for the standpoint of
Tigran Torosyan. However, he says, although they will not be funded
by the National Assembly, the center will go on operating.