Samvel Alexanian opens his heart to media: Wife does not finance him

The deputy of Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) faction, businessman Samvel Alexanian spent the break prior to a vote in the National Assembly in the company of reporters: he unexpectedly approached and sat beside them.

Asked why he decided to open a supermarket of Yerevan City chain in Dalma Garden Mall trade and entertainment center, Samvel Alexanian replied that his wife (Mrs. Shoghik) deals with such problems. “You should ask Mrs. Shoghik,” the businessman told reporters. He was in a jocular mood and starting complaining about his wife. “She has not financed me recently,” he noted.

Commenting on the situation around the Closed Market in downtown Yerevan, Alexanian said the market was in a bad state of repair, but nobody was concerned about that.

“When the Closed Market resembled a rat’s hole, why didn’t you go there and speak about it? When the roof leaked, why didn’t you raise that subject?” he asked.

At the same time Samvel Alexanian said several times that he didn’t intend to answer questions. “That will do! I’m leaving”.

We should remind you that the Closed Market (the famous architect Grigory Aghababian was its designer) was constructed in 1952. It is on the list of Yerevan’s historical monuments and is considered one of the symbols of the city. Yet in March 2012 the market’s owner started - without permission - repair work to change the wooden part of the building’s vault. A scandal broke after the market began to collapse because of construction work. Civil activists demanded punishment of those guilty.

The mass media and civil activists say that it is planned to open here a trade center of Yerevan City supermarket chain owned by the family of parliamentary deputy Samvel Alexanian (nicknamed Lfik Samo.)