Vahe Hakobyan as Syunik governor: opinions

In an interview with Tert.am, Heritage party Vice-Chairman Armen Martirosyan commented on President Serzh Sargsyan’s decision to appoint Vahe Hakobyan, an MP from the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), governor of the Syunik region.

According to Martirosyan, Vahe Hakobyan is not a person to obey the ex-governor Surik Khachatryan’s orders.

“I worked with Mr Hakobyan in Parliament and I did not see any unwelcome step on his part. I hope he will work efficiently,” Martirosyan said.

He hopes that the new governor will improve the atmosphere in Syunik. “I want them to work freely and hope he, as governor, will allow opposition forces to carry out their activities in Syunik. I hope he will not practice harassment, political persecution and dismissals,” Martirosyan said.

He noted that Vahe Hakobyan does not fully conform to his conception of governor, namely, as a government official and businessman.

“They are one of the major proprietors in Armenia. They own the Kajaran copper and molybdenum plant,” Martirosyan said.
Lyudmila Sargsyan, an MP from the Armenian National Congress (ANC), considers the appointment quite natural.

“A person has to be appointed that will perform the functions performed by Surik Khachatryan, that is, he has to be a worthy successor,” she said.

Elaborating on the subject she said: “They appear to have been able to find the right candidate. If he is so wealthy, it means he has levers and influence. He is well aware of all the methods and can control election process in Syunik by means of terror.”

She does not think this appointment may improve the atmosphere in the region.

“I think they need it. Otherwise, they will not have any votes from Syunik. They need to maintain an atmosphere of fear there; otherwise, they would have appointed a well-educated man that has no contacts with corrupt business,” Ms Sargsyan said. On the other hand, she has nothing against the newly appointed Syunik governor.

Zhirair Sefilyan, a member of Armenia’s Preparliament, says that no changes should be expected in the current government system. “What can replacing one representative of the ruling clan with another change in the life of Syunik residents? Nothing,” he said.

“We must realize that our country has been colonized. The people are being harassed and have to emigrate. This is the only way of struggling to gain victory and build up a national state. This is the reason why the Preparliament unfolded the banner of liberation struggle and seeks to unite the people round national principles,” he said.