Who owns what in Armenia

[londontsi]

Re: Who owns what in Armenia

life must be one sad second after another for you. why do you keep on living?

I am struggling to understand the message in your statement.

What is your opinion regarding the issues discussed on this thread?

[Mher]

Re: Who owns what in Armenia

It is a matter of public concern because this money came form his own private business activity, where he avoids paying taxes from his businesses, taking bribes from oligarchs who continue to not pay taxes, and possibly even misuse of public funds. In other words, the money should have gone to the government, and hence its public money, that could have been use to alleviate the suffering of those people.

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Who owns what in Armenia

I am struggling to understand the message in your statement.

What is your opinion regarding the issues discussed on this thread?

The mesage seems to be that he is an obnoxious person. He has no opinions about the subject of this thread - but that still does not not stop him wanting to make his unpleasant nature known to the world at every chance he can get.

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Who owns what in Armenia

It is a matter of public concern because this money came form his own private business activity, where he avoids paying taxes from his businesses, taking bribes from oligarchs who continue to not pay taxes, and possibly even misuse of public funds. In other words, the money should have gone to the government, and hence its public money, that could have been use to alleviate the suffering of those people.

..except that everyone in Gyumri will think that if his ill-gotten money HAD gone to the government, NONE of it would have been use to alleviate the suffering of people in Gyumri - it would have stayed in Yerevan or gone abroad. That must be why Ghukasyan has been repeatedly elected mayor of Gyumri. He is a thug and a criminal, but he is a Gyumri thug and criminal and the electors must think any possible alternatives are even worse.

Of course, attacking and threatening to kill mayoral opponents also helps Ghukasyan remain in office.....

After his 2006 election campaign Vardan Ghukasyan's son, Spartak Ghukasyan, personally beat up Michael Vartanyan, the deputy head of Shirak Marz, because he had been involved in supporting Martun Sukiasyan who had been the main opponent of Ghukasyan in the mayoral election. On another occasion, and in full public view in the middle of Gyumri, he beat up Ashot Mkrtchyan, another defeated mayoral candidate.

In April 2007, Ghukasian narrowly survived an assassination attempt when unknown gunmen opened fire on his motorcade outside Yerevan. Three of his bodyguards were killed and Mayor Ghukasian and his deputy Gagik Manukian were seriously wounded and hospitalized. The case has never been solved, but it is rumoured that Ghukasyan discovered that those responsible for initiating the assasination attempt were high up in the Armenian government and he is using the information to blackmail Yerevan into allowing him to remain in power in Gyumri.

On 20th May 2007 Vardan Ghukasyan’s son, Spartak Ghukasyan, and his nephew, Kolia Ghukasyan, was involved in a gun battle in the middle of Gyumri. The Ghukasyans and some fellow thugs drove up in front of a car being driven by Rustam Sargsyan, the son of Artashes Sargsyan a member of Prosperous Armenia, and the occupants of both vehicles began shooting at each other. The attack was in response to Rustam Sargsyan shooting a friend of Ghukasian in the foot during an argument that same day. Several bystanders were injured in the car to car gun battle. The body of 12 year old boy was later also found - he went missing at the same time as the shootout. It is widely thought that the boy was a bystander killed during it, but that his body was removed from the crime scene so that Ghukasyan could not be accused of murder, and was then mutilated by a grenade explosion so that the cause of death could be disguised. His decomposed body was eventually found in an abandoned shack. Mayor Ghukasyan in a televised interview vehemently denied his son's involvement in the shootout and accused the media and his rivals of discrediting his family. A third Ghukasyan, his brother’s grandson, Artyom Ghukasyan, was suspected of driving the car. After the shootout, Spartak Ghukasyan and Kolia Ghukasyan went into hiding until they surrendered themselves to the police in July 2007. In December 2007 both men, along with Rustam Sargsyan, were each sentenced to 1.5 years in jail for participating in the gun battle. Spartak Ghukasyan was given a conditional release after spending only two months in prison.

On March 19, 2008, the car of Levon Barseghyan, Asparez Journalists' Club board chairman and campaigner for the banned Gyumri-based GALA TV (the only independent TV station in Armenia) was set on fire several hours after he criticised Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan instruction that Gyumri locals should not be involved in helping GALA TV.

In July 2009 Spartak Ghukasyan was involved is some sort of violent incident near the Ani district of Gyumri (nothing much is available about it online in English). Apparently several people in Sarnaghbyur village were shot or stabbed by Ghukasyan and his henchmen and others were beaten up.

In February 2011 some 20-25 known members of organised crime in Gyumri were arrested at a gathering in the Buzard restaurant in Charles Aznavour Square in Gyumri. Amongst them were Spartak Ghukasyan.

The roads in Gyumri are well paved in asphalt because Vardan Ghukasyan owns the local asphalt factory.

[londontsi]

Re: Who owns what in Armenia

The mesage seems to be that he is an obnoxious person.

He must be one of your cousins.

.

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Who owns what in Armenia

He must be one of your cousins.

.

Hey, "I am struggling to understand the message in your statement. What is your opinion regarding the issues discussed on this thread"?


The only sure way to stop one Armenian from attacking another Armenian with all the viciousness of one Republican party presidential candidate attacking another Republican party presidential candidate, is to comment that Armenians like to attack each other as much as Republican party presidential candidates like to attack each other. This, for some reason, makes them upset and they stop their fighting and join together to attack the observer as if the observer were President Obama in person. Later, they of course inevitably go back to being what they were and resume attacking each other.

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Who owns what in Armenia

Both individuals had been involved in supporting Martun Sukiasyan, the main opponent of Ghukasyan in the mayoral election.

The head of Shirak branch of the "Prosperous Armenia Party" speaks on strip clubs opened by his family members

"Aravot" newspaper ("The Morning") had asked the head of Shirak regional structure of the "Prosperous Armenia Party" Martun Grigoryan on his attitude to the critic of the town authorities relating to the opening of the strip clubs by his family members and thus, breeding debauch and damaging the image of the traditional Gyumri.

The deputy had replied that the clubs belong to his nephew and later on he added that "Gyumri residents also should be able to enjoy the professional dances of the Ukrainian strip dancers".

Maybe it is things like this which make the Gyumri electorate think Ghukasyan is the best of a bad lot.

[Vahram]

Re: Who owns what in Armenia

Everyone is having a nice pissing contest but this hotel is just striking. Look at the Armenian bird carved into the hand rails. The Armenian Cullums, the Vartantaz battle and the place is something Armenia needs more of. It reminds me of what our balads looked like in past years before all the toorks came.

Let us remember all the craftsman and artists that were put to work making this charming hotel. This is a long way from 20 years ago lets try and remember that.

What did Madoff build? Nothing he just stole, this guy is building.

[londontsi]

Re: Who owns what in Armenia

...... this guy is building.

For whom

and

with whose money.

And with what benefit to the economy of the country

And with what benefit to its people.

.

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Who owns what in Armenia

Everyone is having a nice pissing contest but this hotel is just striking. Look at the Armenian bird carved into the hand rails. The Armenian Cullums, the Vartantaz battle and the place is something Armenia needs more of. It reminds me of what our balads looked like in past years before all the toorks came.

Let us remember all the craftsman and artists that were put to work making this charming hotel. This is a long way from 20 years ago lets try and remember that.

What did Madoff build? Nothing he just stole, this guy is building.

And are you low-life trash whose cultural highlights are probably rabiz and being a wigger? If so, guess where you can stick your "Armenian cullums"! (You obviously don't know what an Armenian column looks like, the only slightly Armenian detail shown in that video is a metal light fitting with pomegranates, though what a pomegranate bush is doing supporting an oversize light globe is anyone's guess).

You have, I'm sad to say, answered my question about whether the trashy, vomit-inducing, Las-Vegas casino / brothel design of this hotel represents "modern, aspirational, Armenian culture at its finest". It does.

That Armenian society has produce someone like Ghukasyan, someone who so openly celebrates his thuggery, someone who has no idea of culture or even a basic understanding of what it is (or was) in relation to Armenia, someone who has been allowed to shamelessly display his degeneration in such an expensive way (even the most violent and ignorant of the Borgias had the wits to have intelligent advisers to restrain and redirect their bad taste) is a reflection of the great fall in cultural standards that has occured over the last 20 years within Armenia and within the Armenian diaspora.