Chinese Donation Goes To Wrong Address

[MosJan]

CHINESE DONATION GOES TO WRONG ADDRESS

 

The 13 brand new Audi cars, donated by the government of China to Armenia earlier this year, were originally meant for the foreign affairs ministry to help it better organize reception and handling of various foreign delegations, visiting the country. We believe that the government should not have agreed to accept the donation as it does not credit to even relatively young, but independent Armenia, as such minor problems should be resolved by the government itself.

 

Ruben Shakarian, head of the foreign affairs ministry’s business management department, said it was not the ministry that decided who the cars should go to, advising to seek the answer at the government. Shakarian’s counterpart in the government, Haykaram Mkhitarian, said he had nothing to do with how the cars were distributed.

 

But a person close to top government officials, said that many of government ministers rushed to seek the benevolence of very top officials in a bid to get one of the 13 cars, which were distributed in accordance with the level of their loyalty.

 

The newly appointed ministers were neglected (their positions cost the price of several Audis), as they have not yet managed to display the level of their loyalty. Four of the 13 cars were given to the foreign affairs ministry, two were given to the presidential administration-one to Kocharian’s chief of staff Artashes Tumanian (who is said to have bought quite recently a new Mitsubishi) and the other to Kocharian’s aide Armen Gevorkian. Cars were also given to minister-head of government staff Manuk Topuzian, territorial minister Hovik Abrahamian, transport and communication minister Andranik Manukian, trade and economic development minister Karen Chshmaritian and the newly appointed health minister Sergey Davidian.

 

Nature protection ministry (the minister drives an Audi jeep), finance minister (its top officials drive Ford, Peugeot), social security, justice, science and education ministries were overlooked. Our source said the fate of the rest of cars is still being decided. The overall cost of all 13 cars is about $500,000.

 

By Karine Danielian