YEREVAN. – The Police Chief of Armenia, Vladimir Gasparyan, sees Liberty Square at capital city Yerevan as the continuation of the fight against electricity price hike in the country.
Moments ago, Gasparyan paid a visit to the square, where he responded to the questions posed by journalists and those demonstrators that had relocated to Liberty Square from Baghramyan Avenue.
To note, a huge light is installed at Liberty Square.
“The ‘light’ is at Liberty square, whereas solely the spirit of the fight has remained at Baghramyan. I’m accountable with my head for each and every one at Liberty Square,” said Gasparyan. “There is an unhealthy climate at Baghramyan because a political demand is on the prowl [there] in the fight with a social demand.”
He also promised that on Monday, the police will not carry out any operation against the demonstrators that are still at Baghramyan Avenue. In his words, they will “wait until agitations occur” because he sees an implacability among the protesters.
“The police manifest tolerance today also, but it cannot last long,” noted Gasparyan. “Public order shall be restored.”
He stressed that the fight against the electricity price hike is to everyone’s desire, since the price increase hits everyone’s pockets in Armenia.
“We needed this [i.e. the fight] a lot to some extent,” Vladimir Gasparyan told the protesters at Liberty Square. “You, with your fair deed, did a very kind and good work with the social problem.”
On the evening of June 23, numerous people had commenced a sit-in at Baghramyan Avenue, closed it off, and demanded the revoking of the decision to raise the price of electricity in the country. But on Sunday, some of them went to Liberty Square, whereas the majority stayed at Baghramyan Avenue.
Despite numerous protests, the Public Services Regulatory Commission recently increased the price of electricity in Armenia, and this decision will take effect on August 1. But the decision is expected to be followed by an increase in the prices of numerous products and services in the country. President Serzh Sargsyan, however, stated that the government will cover this price hike until an audit is conducted at Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) Company, which supplies electricity to the country’s residents.
