Tsarukyan Faces Historic Choice: 'Zhamanak'

The newspaper 'Zhamanak' reports: 'The President of the National Assembly, Ararat Mirzoyan, has sent a letter to the leader of the Prosperous Armenia faction, Gagik Tsarukyan, which can hardly be assessed as anything other than a yellow card directed at a large property owner and MP. The occasion for the NA President's letter is the recent discussions surrounding the unconstitutional combination of Gagik Tsarukyan's entrepreneurial activities and his parliamentary role.

The discussions began following the debate on the well-known cement bill, which led to several statements made by Gagik Tsarukyan and his party members, giving the opposition party grounds to appeal to the NA President to initiate the process of stripping Tsarukyan of his mandate. The Chief Prosecutor, Arthur Davtyan, announced yesterday that the matter has been forwarded to the Special Investigation Service, as there are elements of a criminal offense. Subsequently, the NA President Ararat Mirzoyan issued his letter to the leader of Prosperous Armenia.

It is clear that the ruling force is presenting the issue before the president of Prosperous Armenia quite directly, albeit for now, as a request for him to provide substantial arguments and evidence that refute the doubts raised about his entrepreneurial activities. At the same time, the fact that the case is with the Special Investigation Service indicates that Gagik Tsarukyan is being cautioned that what is happening is not a joke.

Interestingly, this yellow card or the practical escalation of the issue comes especially at an interesting time, preceded by the visit from the 'jocular' Medvedev, considering that Gagik Tsarukyan has been openly soliciting Eurasian support in terms of positioning, location, and role within Armenia's political landscape, presenting himself as a reliable pillar of Eurasianism in the country. In this context, the yellow card shown to him symbolically follows the Eurasian Economic Union meeting and Medvedev's visit, which concluded with unexpected humorous noise.

Moreover, Gagik Tsarukyan stated yesterday that there are 'no grounds' for the queries regarding the constitutionality of his mandate, meaning the accusations or suspicions are unfounded. However, the continuation of the authority's response indicates that the ruling power is quite serious about the matter.

Considering those realities, which have been evident not just yesterday and today but essentially for years, at least during the decade of Prosperous Armenia's activity, the probability of Gagik Tsarukyan proving his case is perhaps close to zero. In contrast, the new authorities will have points to prove to the public concerning their differences from the previous government.

Ultimately, the separation of business and politics is a fundamental issue in shaping the new Armenia, and it is by no means solely Tsarukyan's problem; however, at the same time, for the president of Prosperous Armenia, the challenge is not to allow the issue to become about him. In this sense, Tsarukyan stands at a historical crossroads and choice.'

For further details, see today's issue of the newspaper.