YEREVAN, APRIL 11, ARMENPRESS. One of the most important steps on the path of eradicating corruption in Armenia is for the prime minister, his family members and relatives not to be involved in corruption, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe during a Q&A with delegates at the spring session.

“When I think of what’s the biggest thing that I should personally do for the combat against corruption, my only and most reliable answer is that I myself should not be drawn into corruption. It is very important for the people to see and believe in this, because I don’t think that there is a prime minister or a government in the world that stands and says – you know, I intend to slowly be drawn into corruption.  Everyone says they aren’t planning to be involved in corruption, that they are planning to fight against it, and in this context the reliability of the government’s words becomes very important. This is the reason that I always emphasize – I find my being in the status of government and the country’s leader meaningful as long as I have the people’s trust. This means that this trust is the most important pre-condition for us to be able to fight corruption, because I believe we all understand what tools and means corruption, that for many years ruled in Armenia has. And how it can counter-act, when the fight against is were to happen in an environment where there is no trust between the government and the public,” the PM said.

Pashinyan also noted that recently a criminal investigation was launched against one of his relatives in a corruption case.

“I and my family members must be under special attention in this context, and I find it very important that transparency is one of the most important institutions in Armenia today, which is moving forward with very big steps. As recently as 10 days ago a criminal case was filed against one of my own relatives, I don’t want to violate the presumption of innocence, but the fact that this case will be investigated in conditions of complete lawfulness and objectiveness is yet another proof that we are confidently heading on this path,” he said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan