“168 Hours” has touched upon the activities of the “Linsie” fund several times, in particular the construction of the Komitas and Tigran Mets streets. As our readers know, the two streets have each been destructed for two-three months now and still haven’t been asphalted. During the destruction of the streets, it was informed that the “Linsie” fund is going to provide funding for the reconstruction. However, when those streets remained destructed and the work didn’t continue, there were rumors going around that “Linsie” isn’t giving the funding. Now construction has begun so that the destructed parts are covered during the winter. But nobody knows just how that reconstruction is being done. The only thing people know is that “Linsie” still hasn’t given the money to Armenia. There is also an opinion that “Linsie” won’t give Armenia the money until the upcoming elections aren’t over. As a reminder, Armenia was supposed to receive nearly 236 million dollars based on the 5-year contract with the American “Millennium Challenges” organization. The Armenian program has been confirmed, but the organization hasn’t given the money for the first project yet. Once again, people are of the opinion that America has stopped funding and is waiting for the upcoming elections to end. For the answers to this and other questions, we asked vice-director of the “Linsie” fund Harut Sasunyan:
“The documentation is finally over and now we are entering the process of money transfers and a contract will be signed between the “Linsie” fund administration and the Armenian authorities. The delay of these documents has nothing to do with the funding or the end of the project. The project is still in effect and “Linsie” plans to implement it. The delay is mainly due to America’s long preparation of the legal and taxing documents. The American government has been following up on the money flowing out of America in detail during the past couple of years. I would like to make a correction for the next edition of your newspaper (“168 Hours”, No. 128, “The work has restarted without funding) and clarify why “Linsie” quickly paid Lebanon the money and not Armenia. You’re wrong. “Linsie” didn’t transfer money to Lebanon. “Linsie” has made a contribution to the United Armenian Fund, which is a benevolent fund in America and that fund (of which I am the president) has implemented a charity project in Lebanon.”