THEY RELY ON SERGE SARGSYAN’S KINDNESS

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[02:31 pm] 02 October, 2007

Yezidi organized a protest action in front of the Government building
headed by Aziz Tamoyan, the President of the "National Union of Yezidi
in Armenia". They demanded Serge Sargsyan to receive them to solve
the problems regarding their social and cultural issues. According
to Aziz Tamoyan, they had turned to a number of official bodies to
solve their problems for many times.

About 305 yezidi families in Amo district in Zovumi village in
the region of Kotayk are deprived of irrigate water, they are not
provided with gas and the roads are in terrible state. Yezidi want to
have classes in their mother language at school, they want to have
kindergartens and want to privatize their houses. They are unable
to privatize their houses since electric lines of high tension pass
through their territory.

"Before 2003 presidential elections Robert Kocharyan visited Amo
district in Zovumi village and promised to solve the problem. But
he did not do anything. The Prime Minister is a kind-hearted person,
he will help us", said Aziz Tamoyan.

Instead of the Prime Minister, Khachatur Vardanyan, Head of the
Department for Regional Administration and Local Self-Governance
and Hranush Kharatyan, Advisor to the Prime Minister for National
Minorities’ Issues came to listen to yezidi. Hranush Kharatyan invited
the demonstrators to the hall to discuss their problems there,
but they refused. "We turned to you, but you did not do anything,
we want the Prime Minister to listen to us".

Mrs Kharatyan had to talk to the demonstrators in the street and
reflected on each issue. According to her, it was the guilt of yezidi
that their houses were not privatized yet. "The authorities gave you
that chance several times. But you did not do anything, and now that
process costs more than in the past. Even the former Prime Minister
Andranik Margaryan tasked corresponding bodies to help yezidi citizens
in the RA to solve their problems of privatization".

As Mrs Kharatyan mentioned, some of them had privatized their
properties, but many had not. "One of the reasons are the electric
lines of high tension. We should find their solution. Similar lines
pass through many territories. We are currently discussing this
question".

Yezidi left since Mrs Kharatyan promised them to visit their village
and to discuss their problems again.