The Armenian government has agreed to meet with a group of drivers who have lost their driving rights. The drivers gathered outside the government building demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan fulfill his electoral promise to restore their driving rights.
In early July, the authorities decided that those who lost their driving rights after January 1, 2020, could restore them once without retaking exams, by paying a state fee of 50,000 drams and undergoing a probation period.
However, after paying this fee, many drivers were denied, particularly those who lost their rights in Artsakh, Russia, and before 2018. The funds were returned to them a week later, but the issue of restoring driving licenses remained unresolved.
A group of drivers was received by Hamlet Nazaryan, head of the Department of Discussion, Monitoring, and Feedback Evaluation at the Prime Minister's Office. He asked them to submit applications, promising that they would be considered within 15 days, after which decisions would be presented.
"If regarding Artsakh drivers they acknowledged that they might have made a mistake and are ready to reconsider the law, then concerning drivers deprived of rights before 2018, they recommended solving this issue legally, using the services of lawyers," participants of the protest action reported.
Drivers who lost their rights in Russia also expressed their outrage. They find it unacceptable that the Russian side is authorized to decide the fate of Armenian citizens with Armenian licenses. They also request the Prime Minister to fulfill his promise and restore their driving rights, as this work is a source of income for their families.
