Dispute Between Mayor and Governor Escalates into a Physical Confrontation

The newspaper "Hraparak" reports: "Yesterday we received information that Aragatsotn Governor David Gevorgyan physically confronted the mayor of Ujan, Nairi Kirakosyan, in his office. Kirakosyan attempted to resist the governor, explaining that fulfilling his directive was unrealistic.

The issue is that after rewarding themselves and their staff, the governors shifted their focus to finding ways to fill the budget at all costs. They have instructed the community leaders to collect unpaid debts from villagers and even summoned fellow villagers from abroad to recognize the inheritance rights of deceased relatives' properties and pay the taxes on homes and lands left behind here. We were told that during discussions on this topic, the governor and his subordinate nearly got into a physical fight.

Nairi Kirakosyan, the mayor of Ujan from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), deemed the reports of a physical confrontation exaggerated but did not deny that they had a heated argument. He stated: "Well, he demands collection of arrears, and I was saying it’s not that easy. We are talking about old taxes that have remained unpaid by the people; it’s difficult to collect. He insists, ‘Collect at any cost.’ I reply, ‘It’s hard, it’s not being collected; there are inheritance issues, and people are in various countries—some in France, some in the Netherlands. We do not have the right to collect this money unless the government makes a decision that allows us to do so. If it doesn’t make that decision, then in the future, the money is going to disappear, as some say, coming from the side to collect it. It’s just how it is. We can’t demand it until the person accepts the inheritance.’ The governor also says, ‘Go and tell them to accept; convince them, and so forth.’"

For more details, refer to today’s edition of the newspaper.