SERGE SARGSIAN PROMISES TO SUPPORT THOSE WHO INTEND TO DISCLOSE BRIBE-TAKERS
Noyan Tapan
March 14, 2008
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, NOYAN TAPAN. "In my opinion, over the past 10 months
the government has worked actively, we have registered a 13.7% economic
growth, succeeded in almost doubling the 2008 budget and solving social
problems, and we will continue this way," the RA prime minister Serge
Sargsian said when answering citizens’ questions on television on
March 13. According to him, as was repeatedly stated, there will be
personnel changes but they may not be an end in itself which would make
"many think that everything and everubody must be changed."
He said that all officials to commit crimes, all those to take bribes
will be punished. He denied that he has a list of 65 officials to
be dismissed from their jobs but he added that more officials may
actually be replaced as "Armenia is a small country, whereas the
number of officials is large."
In response to the question about prospects of restoring justice in the
country with respect to the possibility of "settling issues by means
of money" in courts, S. Sargsian stated that measures should be taken
in order to exclude such possibilities. "We, the authorities should
take measures, deepen the legislation and close all the loop-holes but
on the other hand it is impossible to fight corruption and bribery
without the assistance and active participation of citizens," he
pointed out. In his words, evidence is needed in order to convict a
person, it cannot be done by mere talks. "I promise everybody that if
there are alarm calls and people who intend to disclose bribe-takers,
they will always receive support."
The prime minister does not believe that the personnel policy has been
"shameful" in the past ten years. "In many cases there have been forced
appointments but no one can say whether we would have been now in a
worse or better state if there had not been forced appointments. In
any case, I will do everything so that the newly appointed ones will
not have a bad reputation in the society," he said.
Serge Sargsian has not yet made a final decision about whom he will
appoint prime minister. He promised that an event will be held after
formation of the government and then perhaps they will answer questions
about the government’s composition.
S. Sargsian denied the rumors about an agreement to appoint the son of
the leader of "National Unity" party Artashes Geghamian to the position
of head of the Meghri check-point. "I do not know if Geghamian has
a son whose speciality corresponds to this position. I know that he
has well-educated children which is not an obstacle to involving them
in state service but to speak about an agreement is pure nonsense,"
he said.