From 21 to 31 October, 2019, the “Media Advocate” initiative followed online media reports on the wife of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Anna Hakobyan’s personality and activities.
35 leading Armenian news agencies have been monitored.
In the specified period, 227 articles were declared, 65 of which were negative, 29 were positive and 133 were neutral.
Mrs. Hakobyan is in the media spotlight. Both positive and negative articles have been written on the Prime Minister’s wife.
According to expert Angela Elibegova, statements of the “Women for Peace” movement founded by Anna Hakobyan, are perceived in Azerbaijan as sign of weakness.
Media reports that Anna Hakobyan’s charity fund does not answer to oral questions. One of the news outlets has sent a request to the foundation asking them to provide the content of the letter which was sent to those invited for the November 8 gala dinner. As the news outlet notes, since they did not receive response on time, they published the letter they succeeded to find due to their own sources. According to a letter published by the news agency, the invitees have been divided into categories, which, in their turn, have been suggested to transfer from 200,000 to 10,000,000 drams to the fund. Following this publication, Anna Hakobyan’s spokesperson Hasmik Harutyunyan sent a response. According to it, this is an annual gala concert and basing on international experience, the invitees are first introduced to the charity’s goals.
Another analysis has it: “The people who robbed the country, have taken their robbery out of the country during 1.5 years. Therefore, we have a problem so as the money stays in the country and circulates here. That is the reason why with a few legal acts and by means of the economic amnesty act, we should try to get back some of the robbery. Moreover, when we refer to these publications, we find that those looted funds are transferred to Mrs. Hakobyan’s foundations, and she does not refuse to accept them.”
Anna Hakobyan’s hairdresser is reported to have participated in 13 business trips․ She received more than 10.5 million drams which were paid by state funds.
The publications according to which Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Mrs. Anna Hakobyan have joined wounded soldiers in the weaving process of the carpet called “Armenian Space” were assessed as positive.
Nikol Pashinyan posted Anna Hakobyan’s photo and wrote that his vision of women’s activism does not contradict with his perceptions of the Armenian family. This was also positively assessed.
