COMPLAIN CONSISTENTLY IN ORDER NOT TO BE DESPISED

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[05:16 pm] 26 July, 2007

More images Residents of Northern Avenue, former pilots, 200 private
taxi drivers gathered in front of the Government building demanding
responses from the RA Prime Minister to their applications. The police
protected the Government from the peaceful demonstrators. Taxi drivers
stopped their cars in the square, blocking traffic.

"No one receives us, no one responds, no one dares to come out and
talk to us", said a driver.

"We are not monsters. We have come to get positive answers to our
questions", said another driver adding that there were drivers
who got loans from banks and would have to sell their homes to get
rid of the banks’ burden. According to the Government’s decision,
a driver has to pay 200 thousand drams for a license for one year,
400 thousand drams for the counter.

A policeman approached the demonstrators and said the Government
was in session and the Government representatives would talk to
them afterward. However, after the session no one spoke to the
demonstrators.

They spoke with the RA Human Rights Defender Armen Harutunyan. "I am
holding a meeting with citizens today. Come to my office and we’ll
discuss your problems then", he said.

Deputies of the "Heritage" party Armen Martirosyan and Larisa
Alaverdyan, as well as some representatives of the "Impeachment Bloc"
approached the demonstrators.

Mrs Alaverdyan saids the Government was aware of their action and
the Prime Minister reflected on their problems during the session,
particularly on the drivers’ problem. "The Prime Minister said that
people should understand that the transport bag was old and did not
correspond to the norms", said Larisa Alaverdyan and said she would
do her best to arrange a meeting with the Ministry of Transport. "I
offered for them to meet with the representatives of Ministry. In
my opinion, the problem should be directed to the ability and the
experience of the drivers, not to the cars. I understand the goal, but
do not understand the means", said Mrs Alaverdyan. Armen Martirosyan
noted that the Prime Minister said it was not a well thought-out
step. "You should be consistent, then, you will not be despised",
said Martirosyan.

The representative of the Ministry of Transport and the head of the
RA Government staff received the demonstrators and promised to solve
the problem.