“I’m talking about Ivan, you’re talking about a fool”: Naira Zohrabyan

The MP from the Prosperous Armenia Party and the chair of the Permanent Committee on Human Rights and Public Affairs, Naira Zohrabyan, wrote on her Facebook page: “I’m talking about Ivan, you’re talking about a fool... Thus, ‘Lydian Armenia’ company, which I remind you wants to exploit Amulsar, and let me remind you that the overwhelming majority of the residents of the surrounding communities are categorically against it and refuse to unblock Amulsar, has organized a letter of protest directed at me, which has been signed by several residents of the neighboring communities of Amulsar.

So what is ‘Lydian Armenia’ saying and why are they so agitated? It turns out that when I said the other day that a group of residents from Hovtashat entered a private company’s area and organized a ‘beshpredel’ there, moreover, they used violence against a journalist and an operator, ‘Lydian Armenia’ decided to accuse me of applying double standards.

That is, when I say that the right to permit the exploitation of Amulsar belongs exclusively to the people and that the people are against it, the curators and poorly skilled PR managers of ‘Lydian’ counter with utterly absurd arguments. The ‘beshpredel’ organized by the village head of Hovtashat and his family members is being presented by the curators as the wrath and revolt of the entire Hovtashat community, thus trying to equate it with the environmental disaster guaranteed by the exploitation of Amulsar, which environmentalists assure us will occur. However, it seems that the letter organized by ‘Lydian Armenia’ did not create the moral-psychological boom they dreamed of.

I spoke again yesterday with the residents of the neighboring community surrounding Amulsar, and their stance, which they also conveyed to the local authorities and the police, remains unchanged: they will not unblock the positions of Amulsar.

This is the community's principled decision, and writing me letters, telegrams, or SMS, or sending people to make me talk less about this topic is just a waste of energy. We will defend any decision of the community. And Amulsar will not become Chernobyl, period.”

It should be noted that earlier, a group of residents from the nearby communities of Gndevaz, Jermuk, Gorayk, and Sarava addressed an open letter to Naira Zohrabyan. They stated:

“Dear Ms. Zohrabyan, We were surprised to learn about your astonishment and indignation regarding the fact that more than 60 citizens of the village of Hovtashat have invaded the area of the Multi Group’s fish farm. You call this invasion an attack by ‘sarancha’, ‘beshpredel’ and ‘local protests’. We are surprised because regarding the illegality around Amulsar, your active support has given the impression that you are in favor of the 'people' and the 'community' exercising their ‘rights’ through such methods by invading the private territory of another company. After all, you said that the ‘people’ should decide. Therefore, it is unclear why you label the 60 Hovtashat residents who have invaded Multi Group’s area as ‘sarancha’, while considering the few individuals who have illegally blocked the roads around Amulsar, depriving thousands of people of their daily bread, as the ‘community’, entitled to invade Lydian’s area. If you support those blocking Amulsar who have decided it is their territory, you should logically also support the Hovtashat residents who, according to the rationale you have set, should decide who owns the fish farm in their village. After all, in the case of Amulsar, you, working in the legislative body, are not protecting the law, but rather supporting the ‘local protests’ of a few dozen people.”