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Gagik Tsarukyan, the head of the opposition Prosperous Armenia faction in the Armenian parliament, refuted on Tuesday reports alleging the Yerevan Municipality has issued construction permits to businessmen who have donated garbage trucks to the municipal authorities.

“An ad-hoc commission will be set up, we will also be involved in its activity, an inquiry will be carried out to expose the truth to us all,” he told reporters in the National Assembly.

Addressing the remark that he repeatedly announces that his partners face obstacles in obtaining construction permits in Yerevan, Gagik Tsarukyan said he had invited his business partners, who wanted to build a free hospital and hotels in Yerevan, to Armenia, but the latter were disappointed with the outcome of the meeting with Mayor Hayk Marutyan and Chief Architect Arthur Meschian.

“After the revolution, we all must work hard to meet the expectations of the people and develop our country, everyone should use their opportunities – whether they are part of the opposition or authorities,” the lawmaker stressed.

“Let me bring an example: I invited my colleagues, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and the CEO of Rotana Hotels in the United Arab Emirates, to Yerevan. These billionaires had expressed a desire to invest in Armenia. The owner of the hotel chains wanted to build two hotels in downtown Yerevan in an effort to boost tourism, while the crown prince wanted to build a hospital in Yerevan named after his father so that the needy could use the hospital services for free. They met with Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan and Chief Architect Arthur Meschian. The meeting, which lasted only half an hour, turned out to be disappointing for them. They forgot about their investments, temporarily freezing them,” Tsarukyan said.