Former Shirak governor becomes Gyumri Mayor’s adviser

PanARMENIAN.Net - Hovsep Simonyan, former governor of Shirak and a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), has been appointed as an adviser to Gyumri's newly elected mayor Vardan Ghukasyan.

Simonyan will be responsible for financial affairs. Prior to becoming governor, he served as deputy head of the finance and economic department of the Shirak regional administration.

He noted that Ghukasyan's offer was presented both to him and the local ARF structure, establishing a basis for cooperation. Simonyan accepted the role, stating that any conscious citizen, especially a professional, has a duty to serve their homeland and city.

"Each of us must contribute what we can to our city, our country, our homeland — and we must do so in unity, ending the current atmosphere of intolerance and hatred. Our nation is heading in a dangerous direction. We must unite and act together to leave a better country and city for future generations. No one will remember who held which title, but they will remember who did good or bad deeds," Simonyan said.

He stressed that Gyumri faces numerous challenges and that holding office should not be about privilege but about struggle and service. "We must work within the law to ensure proper governance, help our city overwhelmed by issues, and provide quality public services. A public servant must serve the people."

Vardan Ghukasyan, who previously served as Gyumri mayor from 1999 to 2012, was re-elected on April 16. Eighteen opposition council members unanimously supported his candidacy. The “Mother Armenia,” “Our City,” and “My Strong Community” factions chose not to nominate their own candidate and backed the opposition force with the most votes, aiming to remove the ruling Civil Contract party from power in the city.