VIDEO: Pashinyan Proposes Giving Up Tree Space for Sheikh's Hospital

The issue has reached a point where sheikhs want to build a hospital in the center of Yerevan. Today, during a government meeting discussing healthcare programs, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made this remark, alluding to the recent controversial discussions between the Yerevan Municipality and the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK).

“There is visible activity in terms of investments in the healthcare sector in Armenia. It has come to the point that even sheikhs want to build a hospital in the center of Yerevan. If we see that we cannot resolve the issue, we will have to give up the space for the tree at Republic Square for our esteemed sheikhs to build their dream hospital, where, according to some information, there is a 50% local participation issue,” Pashinyan said, half-seriously, half-jokingly.

Let us recall that tensions emerged between Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan and BHK leader Gagik Tsarukyan when Tsarukyan announced in the National Assembly that the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi left Armenia disappointed after a meeting with Marutyan over his desire to make significant investments in the country. The mayor's spokesperson denied Tsarukyan's statement. In response, Tsarukyan aired a video on television where representatives of the Kuwaiti crown prince opened up certain details about their meeting with the mayor and the chief architect of Yerevan.

The investor proposes to build a charitable hospital and hotel in the center of Yerevan and, in return, promises to renovate certain metro stations. Marutyan rejected the proposal, stating that the municipality cannot provide the appropriate space. He also mentioned that there was no discussion about the hospital being charitable and that the construction of the hotel has been halted due to the intervention of the owners of a nearby building, who have appealed to the court. The court has suspended the construction.