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COMPLAIN CONSISTENTLY IN ORDER NOT TO BE DESPISED

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Residents of Northern Avenue, former pilots, 200 private taxi drivers gathered in front of the Government building demanding responses from the RA Prime Minister to their applications. The police protected the Government from the peaceful demonstrators. Taxi drivers stopped their cars in the square, blocking traffic.

“No one receives us, no one responds, no one dares to come out and talk to us”, said a driver.

“We are not monsters. We have come to get positive answers to our questions”, said another driver adding that there were drivers who got loans from banks and would have to sell their homes to get rid of the banks’ burden. According to the Government’s decision, a driver has to pay 200 thousand drams for a license for one year, 400 thousand drams for the counter.

A policeman approached the demonstrators and said the Government was in session and the Government representatives would talk to them afterward. However, after the session no one spoke to the demonstrators. They spoke with the RA Human Rights Defender Armen Harutunyan. “I am holding a meeting with citizens today. Come to my office and we’ll discuss your problems then”, he said.

Deputies of the “Heritage” party Armen Martirosyan and Larisa Alaverdyan, as well as some representatives of the “Impeachment Bloc” approached the demonstrators. Mrs Alaverdyan saids the Government was aware of their action and the Prime Minister reflected on their problems during the session, particularly on the drivers’ problem. “The Prime Minister said that people should understand that the transport bag was old and did not correspond to the norms”, said Larisa Alaverdyan and said she would do her best to arrange a meeting with the Ministry of Transport. “I offered for them to meet with the representatives of Ministry. In my opinion, the problem should be directed to the ability and the experience of the drivers, not to the cars. I understand the goal, but do not understand the means”, said Mrs Alaverdyan. Armen Martirosyan noted that the Prime Minister said it was not a well thought-out step. “You should be consistent, then, you will not be despised”, said Martirosyan.

The representative of the Ministry of Transport and the head of the RA Government staff received the demonstrators and promised to solve the problem.