The death of Prime Minister of Armenia Andranik Margaryan shocked many. Armenian citizens truly mourn his death and each person uniquely defines the loss of the prime minister. The main topic for discussion is the death of Andranik Margaryan, all the way from the homes to the streets to the workplaces and different sites.
Political activists as well as average citizens considered Andranik Margaryan as not only the balancing force between the government and the opposition, but also the different wings of government. He also appreciated the people. That is why many people are now concerned that something will go wrong in Armenian politics. Taking into consideration the inter-political machinations during the upcoming parliamentary elections and the large role that Andranik Margaryan played in the inter-political life of Armenia, many believe that his death was both unexpected and premature. It was expected that the Republican Party would form a majority in parliament with help from Andranik Margaryan in the next National Assembly and in government. However, the Republican Party is forced to go on without Andranik Margaryan the leader.
Andranik Margaryan was the political activist who took with him the plans, hopes and expectations of many political activists of Armenia. Those who interacted with him without any expectations, and were his life-long friends, deeply regret his death. Different government officials were recalling their practical relations with the prime minister, what kind of leader and colleague Andranik Margaryan was, although there were many times when they weren’t able to speak because they couldn’t believe that their leader was dead.
Head of the National Assembly relations governmental department Amalya Yengoyan had the most contact with the prime minister.
“He was practical and not somebody who had to be in the mood to work. He never left things for tomorrow. If we forgot something, we would never hope that the prime minister would forget. He remembered and made us remember about even the least important issues. Besides that, he never entrusted anyone to do his job. I remember; years ago, there was a discussion on a bill in parliament and the prime minister was for that bill. But that bill required funding which the government did not have. There was a proposal to pass the law but put it in effect next year. Margaryan disagreed, saying that he might not be prime minister the next year and the next government should not be held responsible for the funding of the bill. He had no ambitions in the workplace; he was never afraid of asking us how to do a good job, what the right method is. He used to call and ask how the job is going, how everything is.”
Andranik Margaryan often visited the provinces of Armenia accompanied by government officials who received the most appeals, protests and/or petitions from the village communities. One of those government officials was head of the social issues department Aram Karapetpyan.
“When the villagers used to gather, the prime minister would push me upfront and point to me as the person who would solve the social issues of the villagers. We used to bring nearly 100 letters to every visit. The prime minister assigned us to sort them out and solve the prior issues. The prime minister’s funding made up 25 million drams and it was gone by February.”
Letters were sent to government every day. Each one was different, but the issue remained the same: support.
“It’s obvious that it was impossible to give money to everyone, but there were times when the government made every effort to grant money to some villages,” says one of the workers of the letters/government functions department Mrs. Nune.
“Those letters were both entertaining and interesting. Recently, we received a letter from a 2nd grade student from Vanadzor. He had personally addressed his letter to the prime minister asking him to send his father a cellular phone for his birthday “with the battery”. The child had also asked the prime minister not to let his father know”
“Mr. Prime Minister, I will grow up to be a prime minister and I will repay you for your good deed,” the child promised.
The Prime Minister was touched by the letter and sent the cellular phone to the father on his birthday. The father sent a thank-you letter to the prime minister telling him that he was surprised to get the cellular phone. However, the government did not get any letters addressed to the prime minister. “They were not expecting as much from the government, as much as from the prime minister. I felt that in the subtext of all the letters,” says Mrs. Nune.
Margaryan has visited many villages and the officials who used to accompany him say that he was able to be straightforward with the villagers and understand their problems. He was very popular in that sense. The Prime Minister also used to make unexpected visits to villagers’ homes, sit and talk about their problems and tell jokes.
“During one of those regular visits, we went to the Saramech village of the Lori province,” says head of the Information and Public Relations department of the government Meri Harutyunyan. “It was late. There was only one house in the village with lights on. The prime minister made us drive to that house. He got out of the car, approached the house and asked if they would accept guests. The landlord wasn’t home; he had come to Yerevan because his wife was waiting for him. The woman of the house recognized the prime minister and was surprised to see him. The television was on at that moment and there was a report being shown about the prime minister’s visit to the Lori province. The poor woman was looking at the television and the prime minister surprised. Then she invited him to the house, but there was no place to sit. The prime minister sat at the edge of the bed and started to talk with the woman. The neighbors found out that the prime minister was there and all of them treated Margaryan to their yogurts and tan (buttermilk).”
The officials say that they could not fit in with Andranik Margaryan’s heavy schedule-get up early in the morning, go to work, participate in different consultations and meetings and go home late at night, especially when he had health problems. In any case, they say that the death of the prime minister was unexpected in that he didn’t really feel bad during the last days of his life. He had lived through harder health conditions and had survived.