Ara Vardanyan: The Foundation Will Learn That It Should Not Give Money to the Government

Today, the first meeting of the investigative committee of the National Assembly, initiated by the opposition "Hayastan" faction, regarding the spending of funds from the "Hayastan" foundation took place. The committee will examine the issue of transferring funds received by the foundation to the Government.

In a conversation with ArmDaily.am, the current director of the foundation, Ara Vardanyan, expressed the view that these processes will not affect the trust in the foundation. "The Government has not been able to fully clarify how the money was spent. The foundation's international auditor has been unable to confirm the expenditure of these funds. Moreover, we saw several times over time that Telegram channels reported that there had been wastage of these funds within the Government. Therefore, I believe that the reality must be clarified because we are not talking about wastage of funds in the Pan-Armenian Foundation but in the Government. I think that once it becomes clear that everything is correct and that there have been some abuses, it will serve as an impetus for people to continue giving money to the foundation. Also, it will teach the foundation that it should not give money to the Government; the foundation was not created for that purpose," Vardanyan said.

Regarding the investigative committee, Vardanyan noted that it was established by law to clarify what happened to the 52 billion drams that were transferred from the foundation to the government.

"The embezzlement of funds harms the reputation of the foundation, not the Parliamentary committee. The entire purpose of the committee is to either dispel doubts among the people regarding that 52 billion or confirm cases of embezzlement. This issue must eventually be resolved. If the government does not provide a solution and if the audit of the foundation cannot confirm these funds, it is clear that this question must be addressed, and in my opinion, the right format has been chosen. Moreover, it was the opposition parties that suggested its establishment, but the majority of representatives in the committee are from the ruling party. I believe that diversity is ensured there, and if a proper check is conducted, we will all know what happened to these funds," Vardanyan emphasized.

On November 27, the 30th meeting of the board of trustees of the "Hayastan" All-Armenian Foundation took place. Haikak Arshamyan's candidacy was approved for the position of executive director of the foundation. Reflecting on the meeting, the former director noted regarding Arshamyan's activities and the recent work of the foundation: "I have always held the foundation in high regard. My only hope is that the foundation will continue its vital work, which it has always done: not only fundraising but also uniting our compatriots around our homeland. I will not evaluate the executive director's activities. The trustees themselves have chosen him; I hope that he will be able to work well and lead the foundation to new successes."