‘Today I am here as a citizen, not as a PM’ – Pashinyan tells reporters on Citizen’s Day

13:15,

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS. Today I am here as a citizen, not as a Prime Minister, Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan told reporters on April 27 on the occasion of the Day of the Citizen. The PM asked the journalists not to ask questions on this day. Nevertheless, the reporters managed to get the responses of several questions.

Asked to what extent it was right to provide 124 million drams for holding the events on the Citizen’s day, if it was possible to spend these sums in another direction, the PM stated: “Sums will be spent on other directions as well. This year the citizen overfulfills the budget revenues by 40 billion drams”. Pashinyan added that the money provided by the government from the budget will also be equally spent in the provinces.

Asked what has changed in his life within a year, Pashinyan said with a joke: “This has changed in my life that I cannot walk freely in my home town”.

Citizen’s Day is being celebrated in Armenia for the first time on the last Saturday of April.

A number of events are scheduled on this Day across the Republic.

On April 9 the Parliament adopted the bill on making amendment in the Law on Holidays and Remembrance Days. According to the bill, last Saturday of April would be celebrated as the Day of Citizen of the Republic of Armenia. In case when May 1 coincides with Saturday, the Citizen’s Day will be celebrated on the last Sunday of April.

The Armenian government has provided 124 million drams from the reserve fund for the holding of events on the occasion of the Day of the Citizen.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan