Armenian PM Hovik Abrahamyan Keeps Mum After Meeting with Opposition Parties on Pension Reform

Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan, leaving Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan's office earlier today, declined to comment on his meeting with the four parliamentary parties (Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Heritage Party, Armenian National Congress, and Prosperous Armenia Party). He said they discussed the mandatory pension system, but he promised to provide details only after the new government was formed. 

Reporters remarked that, in fact, the PM won't be keeping his promise to suspend pension deductions from employees' salaries, since the new plan presented by Acting RA Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Artem Asatryan doesn't provide for this. Abrahamyan replied that he is always true to his word. 

Recall, the four aforementioned political parties today met once again at the National Assembly. The meeting took place in Tsarukyan's office. Entering the room at the start of the meeting was newly appointed PM Hovik Abrahamyan, accompanied by Chief of RA Government Staff David Harutyunyan and Acting RA Minister of Territorial Administration Armen Gevorgyan. 

This visit came as a surprise to meeting participants. Head of the Armenian National Congress parliamentary faction Levon Zurabyan asked whether Abrahamyan had come to be informed of their plans, to which the PM responded that he's come to impart certain information.