ArmInfo. The government should develop a focused policy on the employment of citizens. In parallel, the role of the state apparatus should be strengthened. Only in this way can we stop situations like the one that happened the other day in Ijevan, ?hairman of the Democratic Party of Armenia Aram Sargsyan expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo.
"The events in Ijevan, all these protests, the clash of interests of a group of people interested in illegal logging with the interests of the state and society are nothing but the vestiges of the previous management system. In this light, I am deeply convinced of the need to prepare an appropriate concept for the final, complete dismantling of the oligarchic system in our country, "he said.
On July 4, the National Assembly of Armenia adopted the draft amendments to the Administrative and Criminal Codes, envisaging criminal liability for deforestation instead of previous administrational one. The first violation of the law will be punished with a fine, and the second is a criminal liability. The adoption of the bill was accompanied by taking the issue of deforested forests under enhanced control of law enforcement and other responsible authorities.
Innovations were met with discontent and opposition from citizens interested in deforestation in the Tavush region. On July 17, workers of the sawing plants blocked a road in Ijevan, connecting Armenia and Georgia demanding not to hinder deforestation. In response to the attempts of the police to unblock the road for the accumulated transport, stones flew at them, after which 13 police officers with bruises and injuries were hospitalized. As part of the criminal case, 13 organizers and participants of the clashes were detained.
According to Sargsyan, the problem with the employment of citizens is far from being limited to the Tavush region and is rather complex. In this light, he views the clashes in Ijevan as another reason for the government of the republic to seriously think about the situation and the problems arising from it.
"This problem cannot be considered one-sidedly. Just yesterday, the governor of Tavush region, Hayk Chobanyan, complained that Ijevan residents refuse to go to work and occupy 200 vacancies, he said. As far as I know these are jobs in the field of road construction. But after all, not everybody has construction skills. Accordingly, people will have to look for some other ways to earn money or, as usual in Armenia, just leave the country in search of a better life, "the politician concluded.