Yerevan mayor addresses criticism over expensive US trip

Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan has addressed criticism over his expensive flight tickets for a trip to the U.S. in November.

The business-class ticket purchased by the Yerevan Municipality for his flight to Los Angeles cost approximately $19,560.

The tickets for his delegation members cost more than $10,000, in total.

“Frankly speaking, I was also somewhat shocked by the spending,” Avinyan said at a meeting of the Yerevan City Hall on Monday, calling it a "bad gift" for New Year and attributing it to poor planning.

“I’ve decided to fully reimburse the expenses personally,” the mayor added.