YEREVAN, July 17. /ARKA/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received Monday Petros Terzyan, acting executive director of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, the press office of the prime minister reports.
“I am happy to see you, though I think that the event that has prompted today’s meeting is not so joyful, and it is connected with the events going on in Hayastan,” Pashinyan said. “Of course, it is very painful to us that the fund director has committed an unacceptable action, but I want also to stress that we couldn’t act otherwise when web received this information.”
On July 2, the then director Ara Vardanyan was taken to police in suspicion of embezzlement and abuse of powers.
Vardanyan confessed that he has used the fund’s credit card with 25 million drams (around $51,800) for his personal needs – he bet money in casinos.
At his meeting with Petros Terzyan, Pashinyan said that the rule of law in Armenia should be undisputable.
“In recent years, the fund was surrounded with certain distrust atmosphere,” the prime minister said.
“Maybe that was connected with political things inside the country and so on. But I hope that thanks of these processes we will clarify our views on the future activity of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund and will fix new approaches in relations between the Diaspora and Armenia, and of course the fund.”
Noting that it would be very interesting in this situation to hear the opinion of Petros Terzyan, one of the fund representatives who enjoy confidence, the premier thanked him for assuming the fund administration duty amid such complicated and unfavorable circumstances.
Terzyan, on his side, said that he was shocked as he heard this story, since nothing like that had ever been in the fund’s record.
”We are convinced that this is a clean organization,” he said. “Large programs have been implemented over the last 26 years and tremendous efforts have been made to ensure a clean activity, though it was very difficult. I though we have accomplished in doing that until this case is revealed.”
Terzyan assured Pashinyan that he will do whatever is possible to pass on donors’ money to targets.
He said that the fund has plenty to do.
Hayastan All-Armenian Fund was established in 1992 by the president’s decree as a unique organization whose mission was to unite Armenians all over the world and those who were ready to contribute to development of Armenia and Artsakh.
The fund raises financial resources from annual telethons and other events, such as charity dinners, concerts and exhibitions. -0—