Arthur Khachatryan: Let's not end up disappointed on Snoop Dogg's day, pay, and have him not perform

The ministry chronically underperforms in dam construction. This was stated by Arthur Khachatryan, a member of the 'Armenia' parliamentary faction, during a presentation of the report on the implementation of the 2023 state budget for the first nine months at the Standing Committee on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs of the National Assembly.

“This year, when the government requested additional water withdrawal from Lake Sevan, I mentioned that the problem is that the ministry chronically underperforms in dam construction. We are in the same situation again. You understand, right, that the failure of these projects poses a direct risk to Sevan,” he said.

Khachatryan asked Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Kristine Galechyan why the ministry continuously fails this specific project. In response, Galechyan noted that other projects differ significantly.

“The projects that have a 2, 3, or 4-year implementation period differ significantly from those that need to be completed this year. All projects that have fallen into underperformance during the first nine months of this year are still ongoing; most of them have passed the competitive process, and there are advance payments,” she elaborated.

Arthur Khachatryan requested an explanation as to why the performance of projects implemented under international programs is lower compared to those carried out with domestic resources. Galechyan replied that they mostly involve land acquisition processes, high environmental risks, and a process of dual international approval.

“Ms. Galechyan, you did not answer any of my questions. I specifically asked about dam construction; why are these projects continuously failing? The performance of dam construction is at 33 percent, which you constantly avoid answering. Now you're saying the project is not finished yet; we’ve made advance payments. Let’s not end up disappointed on Snoop Dogg's day, pay, and have him not perform,” Khachatryan said.