Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has arrived in Syunik Marz on a working visit. During the first half of the day, the head of government met with the residents of Sisian and Goris towns, as well as with Syunik Marz community leaders. After taking note of Marz residents’ problems and concerns, the Premier answered their questions.

Expressing gratitude for the warm welcome Nikol Pashinyan noted that he felt guilty that Syunik was not included in his route during the march, but it has its own objective bases.

“The purpose of our visit is to state that our victory belongs to each of you. Our task is to foster the sense of victory not for a month or a year, but forever,” Nikol Pashinyan said. The Prime Minister congratulated those present on the occasion of Constitution Day, noting that the power in Armenia belongs to the people.

“The Constitution states that the power belongs to the people of the Republic of Armenia, I congratulate all of you on this occasion. We have grown out of the times of local princes; now the citizens of Armenia are free and proud. They are the only ones to bear responsibility for the country. This is our main message,” Nikol Pashinyan stated.

According to him, the change of current Armenia is that all officials serve the people and the people are the master. “Goris belongs to its residents, while all other officials should serve the people of Goris. The Republic of Armenia is owned by the citizen of the Republic of Armenia, all officials are serving the people. This is just the change that has taken place. This is your victory; do not let it slip out of your hands. Never let a government be established in Armenia that serves clans, robbery and corruption,” the Prime Minister emphasized.

Nikol Pashinyan underscored that the executive power should refrain from exerting pressure on courts in order to have a fair judicial system in Armenia. “I understand that there is no confidence in courts’ rulings, but we have to do everything to build up people’s confidence. Judges, who are bribed by some illegal means, will be exposed and removed from the judiciary, but the executive should not impose pressure on the courts,” the Premier said.

The head of government assured that no one will henceforth enjoy immunity in Armenia, and any offender will be held responsible for the offense or crime committed. The Prime Minister expressed hope that the people will support him and the government in this matter.

“I expect our people to support me and stand firm by my government so that we could do away with the “bespredel” (lawlessness) in Armenia. There is a principle in criminal proceedings: citizens need not prove their innocence, the prosecutor's office, the law enforcement agencies have to prove a person’s guilt. I cannot say that a person is a criminal - I am neither an investigator nor a prosecutor. I am just stating that there are no immune people in Armenia, including me,” Nikol Pashinyan underscored.

The Prime Minister assured that he does not depend on anybody except the people. “The statehood and rule of law building process will continue in Armenia as long as you stand by my government and me. As soon as I see that I do not have your support, I will not stay in the Prime Minister’s office for even a minute. My mission is to serve you, your task is to make my service as effective as possible,” the Prime Minister concluded.

With reference to those issues raised by the citizens, the Prime Minister said he would take note of them; they would be investigated and addressed, should there be any violation of citizens’ rights.

Talking about the enlargement of the communities, Nikol Pashinyan noted that the process of enlargement of the communities is really controversial, but he does not feel it right to “revoke all the preceding decisions without due consideration.”

“In essence, we have a situation that many communities have been enlarged. We have to pause for a moment and see what results have been achieved in enlarged communities, if any. Our government is committed not to push ahead with the process of enlargement without the consent of communities themselves,” the Head of Government assured, adding that nine months is not enough to take care of the issue; one or two years are needed in this respect. According to him, there may also be communities that would like to become larger and in that case the State should comply with their will.

Nikol Pashinyan called on the residents of Sisian and Goris to come and invest in their native cities, stressing that did not mean charity and assistance and assuring that he personally stood as a guarantee that investments shall be protected. “We are endeavoring to minimize interest on mortgage loans so that social housing programs could be implemented in the provinces,” the Prime Minister said.

At the meeting with the community leaders, Nikol Pashinyan noted that the government is set to do constructive work with the communities.

“I know that there are uncertainties regarding the future of community leaders during these changes. Let me say that we are engaged in constructive dialogue, ready to mobilize our forces and bring about real changes. The process can be felt already, and we have set ourselves the task of making those changes nationwide,” Nikol Pashinyan noted.

Nikol Pashinyan said there are facts of non-existent workers registered with employers, which is a very negative phenomenon. He urged them to be abolished very quickly before law enforcement agencies would have to intervene.

“I do not think that the problem of efficiency should be solved only through law enforcement agencies. Every day each of us should think about the efficient use of public funds. After being elected Prime Minister, I met with businessmen and officially announced that they were henceforth exempt of their corrupt commitments. Today, I can tell you that either you are free from corruption. You should not leave everything to law enforcement officers, let us fix the problem and see our activities with different eyes. We do not have other options: people should feel the changes very quickly,” Nikol Pashinyan emphasized. The Premier stressed that the government will collaborate with those who serve this purpose; the government is ready to work with them, support them and mobilize the existing potential around the common cause.

Talking about subsidies, the Prime Minister noted that there were no means for this purpose in 2018 and added that a decision was made to allocate about 10 billion drams from the funds recovered while exposing the high-profile instances of corruption. The funds so earmarked will go to cover the government’s 60% co-financing of community development programs.

Various issues related to the problems faced by individual communities and possible solutions were discussed during the meeting.

Prime Minister’s visit to Syunik Marz continues.