Armenia accuses WWF and CNF of excess of authority

The Armenian Ministry for Environmental Protection says that refusal of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Caucasus Nature Fund (CNF) to finance the Khosrovsky Natural Park of Armenia because of its director is excess of authority, News Armenia reports.

Karen Manvelyan, director of the WWF office in Armenia, and Arman Vermishyan, national coordinator of the CNF in Armenia, called the new director of the natural park incompetent.

Armenian Minister for Environmental Protection Aram Arutyunyan dismissed director of the Khosrovsky Natural Park Varantsov Barsegyan in October and appointed Gabriel Pogosyan (a member of the municipal council of Artashat) on November 23. Barsegyan was dismissed over the scandal around poaching in the natural park.