Funds Spent on Armen Sargsyan's Foreign Visits Hidden from the Public, MP Claims

Funds spent on Armen Sargsyan's foreign visits are being concealed from the public. This was stated by MP Aregnaz Manukyan from the ‘Armenia’ faction on her Facebook page.

“At the end of last year, I sent an inquiry to the head of the Office of the President of Armenia, Emil Tarasyan, asking how many foreign visits the President of Armenia, Armen Sargsyan, made in total during 2021. I also inquired about the total amount spent on these visits, how much was spent on each visit, from which sources the funds were allocated, and what specific results were recorded after these visits.”

“Today, I received an official response that detailed which country Armen Sargsyan visited and what issues were discussed there. However, pay attention: they did not answer about the total amount spent on these visits and for each one. They only stated that the costs were covered: 1) in accordance with the decision No. 2215-N of December 30, 2020, on measures to ensure the execution of the 2021 state budget of the Republic of Armenia, available on the minfin.am website under the ‘State Budget’ section; 2) at the expense of the inviting party,” she wrote.

“This is the President of the Republic of Armenia imposed on us by the Constitution, whose trips, according to reasonable suspicions, can be quite expensive for our taxpayers, and the extent of funds spent on his foreign voyages is not disclosed to the public,” Manukyan added.