Artsvik Minasyan rebukes SCPEC Chairman
The economy in Armenia is highly monopolized, and one needs to be an alien to prove the opposite, Head of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) faction Naira Zohrabyan said in the National Assembly addressing the Chairman of the State Commission for Protection of Economic Competition (SCPEC), Artak Shaboyan. She says that Armenian citizens see how skillfully and gracefully grocery stores and supermarkets increase the prices of essential foods by 5-10 drams every day. “While I understand that the question should not be addressed to you, I want to say that the so-called middle class has disappeared in Armenia. Her next question concerned the sign ‘Items purchased from our store are not taken back” which contradicts the law. “You can see the sign in many stores and boutiques on Abovyan street.” Mr Shaboyan said he understands her concerns and promised to investigate the problem although it is beyond their jurisdiction. A little later, Artsvik Minasyan, a lawmaker from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun, reminded the SCPEC official that the National Assembly is a representative body and an MP [he meant Nikol Pashinyan] has a right to express his opinion openly. “An MP cannot be made accountable for expressing his ideas if, of course, they do not contain insult and defamation. Therefore, I would ask you to respect this rule,” said Artsvik Minasyan. Answering Nikol Pashinyan's question at today's parliament sitting Artak Shaboyan said Pashinyan was making 'absurd and meaningless statements.' Pashinyan immediately answered him by saying that the people who appointed Shaboyan to the position were 'absurd and meaningless.'
