Minister's Father Allegedly Occupies Land in Parakar Cemetery

The newspaper "Pasti" reports: "Recently, several residents of the Parakar community reached out to 'Pasti' to complain that Arshak Mkrtchyan, the father of Minister of Labor and Social Issues Narek Mkrtchyan, has constructed an artificial mound in the Parakar cemetery, placing a headstone there, claiming that a person is buried underneath. According to them, he has simply occupied this area as a cemetery space. 'Recently, someone passed away, and a plot needed to be allocated. That is when it was revealed that this situation has occurred. People inquired who is buried there, and the cemetery caretaker stated that there is no one; Arshak has made this in an artificial manner. The young men went at night to confirm that this was indeed the case. They dug up the mound and found that underneath was just earth, not excavated, and underneath the soil was garbage. It turns out that he just brought soil to fill that area, drove in four wooden stakes, placed a headstone, and created an artificial cemetery,' said one of the residents during a conversation with 'Pasti.' He emphasized that this can be confirmed by residents of nearby communities, the caretaker, and a couple living in the cemetery area. Additionally, residents claim they have information about another similar area deeper in the cemetery. 'We suspect that he will sell those lands; perhaps we will also find people in the future who have purchased some areas from him in the past,' said our interlocutor, who later sent photographs to the newspaper as evidence.

'Pasti' also contacted Arshak Mkrtchyan to hear his perspective on this story: 'Previously, this was a mining area, and then the mine ceased operations. I have approached the mayor of the nearby community, asking for land in 3-4 places over the last 10 years. The cemetery belongs to Parakar, but since this was previously a mining area, it is now within the administrative territory of Mereavani. I haven't acted unilaterally. One of the graves we provided to the family of a 30-year-old woman; she is buried there, and the land belongs to her family. The tractor we brought cleaned a huge area, and just days ago, we also buried our neighbor in that area. I am not going to go out and say that I cleared the area myself. They are trying to discredit us with such stories. Our family has always helped people, stood by them and our community, and we have done numerous charitable acts,' says Arshak Mkrtchyan."