Prime Minister's Spokesperson Does Not Own Restaurants in Tbilisi and Yerevan; Office Denies Reports

The Public Relations Department of the Prime Minister's Office has denied recent media reports claiming that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's spokesperson, Vladimir Karapetyan, owns restaurants in Yerevan and Tbilisi.

“Today, the media reported that the spokesperson for the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Vladimir Karapetyan, owns restaurants in Tbilisi and Yerevan. It was even stated that there are two of these restaurants on Rustaveli Street in the capital of Georgia. In this regard, the Public Relations Department of the Prime Minister’s Office finds it necessary to inform that the journalist’s claim, published in the July 26, 2019, article titled ‘But You Say You Have No Businessmen’ in the ‘Irates’ newspaper, stating that the Prime Minister’s spokesperson Vladimir Karapetyan 'owns restaurants in Tbilisi and Yerevan' does not correspond to reality.

The Prime Minister's Office considers this inaccurate claim in the publication unallowable and, in accordance with points 1 and 2 of Article 8 of the Law on Mass Media of the Republic of Armenia, demands a retraction to be published in the ‘Irates’ newspaper and on the Irates.am website,” the statement in the denial reads.