Republican party did not discuss expulsion of ex-mayor of Yerevan

YEREVAN, December 9, /ARKA/. A senior member of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia said today it did not discuss expulsion of the controversial ex-mayor of Yerevan Gagik Beglarian from the party. Gagik Beglarian was forced yesterday to step down after reportedly beating up a member of president Serzh Sarkisian's staff.

Speaking to reporters, Galust Sahakian, head of the governing party’s parliamentary faction, said the move is still too fresh and no discussions were held to that end.

The ex-mayor resigned after president Serzh Sarkisian confirmed and condemned through a spokesman Beglarian's involvement in the assault on Aram Kandayan, an official at the presidential administration's protocol unit. According to reports in Armenian newspapers, Kandayan caused Beglarian’s anger after asking the latter's wife not to sit next to Serzh Sarkisian during the November 3 concert in Yerevan of Placido Domingo, the world-famous Spanish tenor because the seats next to the president are usually reserved for Armenia's prime minister, parliament speaker and the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Galust Sahakian described the situation as a ‘sad’ development for the party saying that such behavior must not be left unpunished.

Asked to comment on the resignation of justice minister Gevork Danielian, Galust Sahakian said the latter was dismissed by president Sarkisian for neglecting his duties and the minister’s dismissal should not be linked to mayor’s resignation. According to Galust Sahakian, the former justice minister is a ‘professional and law-abiding citizen’. -0-