“Are you targeting the presidents?” the government’s tough response to the COP17 spending crisis

A heated debate took place in the Armenian parliament over the costs of organizing the COP17 climate summit. In response to the opposition’s accusations of multimillion-dollar waste, the representatives of the ruling “Civil Agreement” faction stated that the expenses were aimed at increasing the country’s international reputation, while the opponents, according to them, are trying to present the country as a backward suburb.

Previously, the parliamentary opposition had severely criticized the government for the unjustified high prices of the souvenirs bought for the event and the rented premises. In particular, the alleged waste of about 85 million drams was pointed out in the process of purchasing branded thermoses, badges and bags (for example, the thermoses were bought for 7,800 drams instead of 4,500 drams), as well as the allocation of more than 300 million drams to rent the “Meridian” expo center instead of building state infrastructure was condemned.

Addressing these claims, the deputy of the ruling faction, the deputy speaker of the National Assembly Vahagn Aleksanyan emphasized that the real target of the opposition is not specific products, but Armenia’s statehood. According to him, the opponents cannot come to terms with the idea that an independent Armenia can host 15,000 delegates from 190 countries, including world leaders, which will bring enormous political and economic benefits to the country.

“According to your imagination, the scabby region has put itself in the place of the state, it is organizing an event,” Aleksanyan noted, adding that the maximum limit of the state’s possibilities for the opposition is the “Armenia-Kaluga” business forum. Turning to the prices, he explained that the one-time acquisition of 15 thousand units of goods in the market has other challenges, and it is not always possible to ensure cheap retail prices.

This position was also supported by a deputy Taron Chakhoyancalling for the costs to be assessed in line with the scale of the event and the high status of the participants. He responded harshly to the indignation over the rental of chairs worth 16,000 drams and vehicles serving the presidents. “What should we do? Should we bring the presidents to sit on a rickshaw, or transport them in an exploded raft?” asked the parliamentarian.

Chakhoyan accused the political opponents of trying to destroy the honor and dignity of the country, concluding that Armenia will never become a peripheral province.