Yesterday Ruben Hayrpateyan organized a press conference at the football federation of Armenia, during which he re-affirmed the fact that he had bought Bjni mineral water company belonging to the family of the Sukiasyans. “I am advising you everyone not to kid. This is a state, and no one should be kidding with the state. I have bought that company from the state and I believe I have paid too much for it, and the ones who are speaking of morality should look back and see what they have done in the past and how they used to grab,” said Ruben Hayrapetyan. In answer to a question whether it is moral to buy Bjni company the latter said, “Let them look back and see how they acquired richness in the past. Let them see what they have bought or grabbed in the past. Let them see whether it is moral or no. If they agree that they have been immoral, then I am immoral too. I mean the owners of the SIL concern and how they acquired their property.” He also says that it is good of him to buy the company because he also solved the problem with jobs. “Why is it so painful to people? In one year I will invite you everyone to the company to show how well it is fulfilling the obligations to the state,” said Ruben Hayrapetyan and assured that the staff would not be fired despite their political vews. The latter says that the company will restart production in the middle of the coming month. “Those who want to work with me will stay in their positions, they are experienced and I don’t want to replace them. There have been opposition representatives in the football federation as well, but I have not fired them,” he said. The latter says that the mineral water business has never been his dream, just he bought it at an auction. “It is a business and I bought it. If there are new businesses that I see will be profitable I will buy more,” said the MP.
Concerning the press information and rumors that the authorities told him to buy the company he said, “Now, people let me tell you the following, their beloved power, the ANM, has tried to make me bow but I didn’t because it was a criminal power that solved all problems by murders, that is why I didn’t obey. If I didn’t obey during their tenure, it means that I am not scared of the homey ones now either. No one can tell me what to do. No one can frighten me. Everyone knows who I am and I have never been scared of anyone. I have no fright since the childhood. I am not afraid generally. May be it is a bad thing but I am who I am.” By the way, it is worth mentioning that the latter believes that his actions are not against Khachatour Sukiasyan. He says that if the court decides that it has no right to sell the company, he will not buy it. “It is up to them to apply to the European court or find any other courts on the planet. If there is a court decision, we will respect that decision. We should not politicize the issue; we will see in one year whether the issue is political or economical.”
In answer to question what he thinks about PA faction leader Gagik Tasarukyan’s message to businessmen that he doesn’t want to buy Bjni company and does not advise anyone to do so he said, “I will disappoint you everyone. I have never had a conflict with Gagik Tsarukyan; he is my friend. It is his private issue what to announce, definitely he had some close relations with that man and that is why he abstained from buying the company. All the efforts on part of the media to provoke a conflict between Tsarukyan and me are in vein.” Concerning newspapers and the media he said with irony that even some papers have wrote that he did not have money to buy the company. “How does it come that the chief editor of Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper has a house worth of two million and Ruben Hayrapetyan, who has worked all his life and has done a lot of businesses, does not have money to pay for Bjni company?” In answer to a question why he did not want to wait till the next phase of the auction to bid the price down he said, “If the company was put for auction one more time, it would be declared bankrupt and would not work.” Answering to question how can he buy the company and be involved in business if the law prohibits MPs to be involved in business he said that he doesn’t make business and he has just bought the company.
Journalists asked Ruben Hayrapetyan, who alleges that the former authorities are criminal, which one of the two powers are more criminal: the one which won the war or the one committing the murders of March 1? “I think that the unrest of March 1 was due to the authorities which started the crime from the very beginning. The incumbent government did not call on people to fire cars, break windows and steal from supermarkets. You could see who was calling on people to do such things. You could see Nikol Pashinyan calling on people to break and steal.” Journalists said that during the tenure of the previous authorities he worked as the head of Avan community and asked how he can imagine an oppositionist working in such high position now. “You are right, there was community election on November 10, on November 6 I came out from the place where I had been hiding and was elected. You don’t remember the methods they used against me. Yes, despite Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s wish I was elected community head. I was the only community head, even after that there was a murder attempt. I think it is possible to have such position now; there are a number of examples. When a position is to be elected, it is not up to Serzh Sargsyan but up to people who will be there.”
He also touched upon the rumors that there have been some conflicts between him and Serzh Sargsyan’s brother. “I have the best relations in Armenia with Sashik. Sashik and I have never had a problem. No one could stand between us, I swear no one can stand between us,” assured Ruben Hayrapetyan.
P.S. By the way, he also said that the rumors saying that a criminal case had been launched against his cousin for having unlicensed gun are true. “Yes, it is true. My cousin committed such action, and he will get the punishment. I haven’t tried to interfere with the process and will not try either. If he did it, then he should get the punishment.”