PHOTOS: Activists Suggest Transport Minister Resign – by Taking a Minibus

Holding signs with such inscription as “Minister, leave (with a minibus),” “I don’t bend over,” “Bent over till where?” and “The nation’s backbone is being broken in minibuses,” members of a local civic initiative called “Dignified Transport” were protesting outside Armenia’s Ministry of Transport and Communication at around 5 pm today.

Speaking to journalists, group member Arevik Martirosyan said that they will be handing over a letter requesting RA Minister of Transport and Communication Manuk Vardanyan’s resignation, since he “cannot ensure citizens’ dignified transportation.”

“Recently, it became obvious that the roads [to the capital] from the regions are closed and people cannot move freely. We’re not asking for the minister’s resignation because of the regional [public] transportation not working; it’s simply one of the factors which makes his resignation more of a priority. If he can’t find a common language with actual route owners [who own individual public transportation routes], he has to go. In truth, the issue goes deeper than that; it’s political — it’s true, we have a systematic issue, but if every minister is in his place and in his field, then perhaps we can achieve real successes,” Arevik told Epress.am.

Recall, since Sept. 30, when the opposition Armenian National Congress announced the start of nonstop rallies in the capital, the inter-city public transportation from various towns and villages around the country was partially or wholly non operational.