Syunik Entrepreneurs Provided Vehicles for Transporting Bodies, Now Face Multiple Fines

Goris has been recording serious indicators in the tourism sector for several years. However, the coronavirus and the subsequent war have severely damaged the sector, and now the main source of income for Goris has effectively vanished.

In an interview with Faktinfo, Goris Deputy Mayor Menua Hovsepyan noted that the extent of the damage is still unknown, but many hotel businesses in Goris have suffered significant losses. "During the war, they provided substantial support to the community and the state. They accommodated and assisted displaced individuals from Artsakh. To this day, there are hotels that continue to host refugees. The sector continues to incur losses since the number of tourists we had throughout the year is no longer present. If the main source of income for the city is tourism, and that is gone, it means all entrepreneurs have been affected," stated Hovsepyan.

In 2019, approximately 300,000 tourists stayed overnight in Goris, while total visits without overnight stays were 2-3 times more. "So, if we estimate around 500,000 people and multiply by, for example, $20, we get a quite substantial amount of money that is no longer entering the city," emphasized the Deputy Mayor.

According to him, there are hotels facing issues with the tax authorities, whose accounts have been frozen. They have repeatedly appealed to the municipality to adopt a more lenient approach, allowing people to recover from the traumatic situation caused by the war. "There have been cases where positive solutions have been received, and there have been cases where no solutions were found. We have entrepreneurs who have provided their vehicles for transporting bodies. Numerous fines have been issued against those vehicles. We have appealed for leniency, as these people are doing this work selflessly. The problems are numerous. There seems to be no solution from a single point; we do not see a resolution," noted Hovsepyan.

In response to a comment that the Minister of Economy of Armenia announced that a working group would visit Meghri, Goris, and Kapan at the end of January to meet with entrepreneurs and resolve some of the issues, Hovsepyan remarked that he is unaware of the working group's activities and does not know which entrepreneurs they met with. "They should ask us what problems we have that we can voice. If I am not informed, it means they haven't asked us, so I can't say who they met with. I don't know what they mean by entrepreneurs; perhaps they are referring to small shops in our villages. I am not informed," said Hovsepyan.

He also pointed out another critical issue regarding alternative road construction discussed by officials. "There is no need to build alternative roads; rather, it is necessary to encourage and urge our residents to use the main M2 highway because if we do not use that highway, we instantly lose Shurnukh, Bardzravan, and Vorotan villages, meaning we surrender them to the enemy. We are in favor of encouraging people to use it, assuring them it is safe, as we must make use of that road," Hovsepyan stated.

Regarding circulating news on signing a trilateral agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Hovsepyan said he is unaware of it, has not seen it personally, and does not know what it is about. "What I see is that since signing the document on November 9, Azerbaijan has been constructing roads and renovating infrastructure, while we have not done anything tangible so far. Months have passed, and we do not plan to, or perhaps we do not realize that the enemy is closer than ever. The enemy has entered Syunik and is currently feeling quite comfortable there; that is a fact. Of course, we are taking steps to ensure they do not feel at ease, but I cannot say at a state level that I see tangible results; I still see nothing clear," concluded Hovsepyan.