US embassy cable - 04YEREVAN777

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 000777 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON, PREL, AM 
SUBJECT: HUMMERS, NUMBERS, AND OLIGARCHS:  WHO'S WHO ON 
ARMENIA'S STREETS 
 
 
1. (U) THIS CABLE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  PLEASE 
PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. 
 
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SUMMARY 
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2. (SBU) SOMETIMES FOR PURE VANITY, SOMETIMES AS A CHARM 
AGAINST TRAFFIC POLICE, ARMENIA'S RESIDENTS ARE PICKING 
THEIR OWN LICENSE PLATE NUMBERS AND PAYING HANDSOMELY FOR 
THEM.  FLASHY NUMBER PLATES HAVE BECOME DE RIGUEUR FOR 
YEREVAN'S FLASHY CARS, AND IDENTIFY RELATIVES AND CLOSE 
ASSOCIATES OF ARMENIA'S TYCOONS.  AS EVEN THE MIDDLE CLASSES 
CANNOT RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO PICK THEIR OWN LUCKY 
NUMBERS, CUSTOM LICENSE PLATES HAVE BECOME A STEADY SOURCE 
OF INFORMAL INCOME FOR ARMENIA'S TRAFFIC POLICE AND ANOTHER 
SIGN OF ARMENIAN SOCIETY'S WILLINGNESS TO SUPPORT PETTY 
CORRUPTION.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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ROYAL FLUSH: THE HIERARCHY OF NUMBERS 
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3. (SBU) PERHAPS THE PRESIDENT STARTED IT ALL WITH 001 UU 
01, BUT THE DESIRABILITY FOR LICENSE PLATE NUMBERS BEARING 
DOUBLE ZEROS AND REPEATING NUMBERS HAS CAUGHT ON.  LONG A 
STANDARD PRACTICE IN ARMENIA FOR OFFICIAL CARS--THE DEFENSE 
MINISTER'S MERCEDES BEARS 002 UU 02, THE SPEAKER OF 
PARLIAMENT'S, 001 OO 01, AND THE PRIME MINISTER'S 001 LL 01- 
-ARMENIA'S OLIGARCHS HAVE ADOPTED THE SAME PATTERNS FOR 
THEIR PRIVATE CARS.  THANKS TO THE ENTERPRISING SPIRIT OF 
THE HEADS OF MUNICIPAL TRAFFIC POLICE, WELL-OFF ARMENIANS 
HAVE ESTABLISHED FAMILY NUMBERS--PATTERNS AND NUMBERS THAT 
IDENTIFY THEM AND THEIR CLOSE ASSOCIATES.  IN MANY CASES 
OLIGARCHS HAVE PURCHASED EXCLUSIVE USE OF ALL THE DOUBLE- 
ZERO PLATES AVAILABLE WITH THEIR CHOSEN NUMBER (THAT IS, 
WITH ALL THE POSSIBLE COMBINATIONS FOR THE TWO LETTERS IN 
THE MIDDLE) FOR THE CARS OF THEIR FAMILY, STAFF AND FRIENDS. 
 
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FOUR HUMMERS: A THEME AND VARIATION 
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4. (SBU) THE FLAGSHIPS OF YEREVAN'S HIERARCHY OF NUMBERS ARE 
YEREVAN'S LARGEST AND MOST CONSPICUOUS AUTOMOBILES: THE FOUR 
HUMMER HUMVEES.  GAGIK TSAROUKIAN (DODI GAGO), OWNER OF 
MULTI GROUP AND YEREVAN'S FIRST HUMMER (AND NOW ALSO, 
YEREVAN'S FIRST ROLLS ROYCE) HAS DE FACTO EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS 
TO THE VARIOUS POSSIBILITIES USING 08 XX 008 (XX 
REPRESENTING THE VARIOUS POSSIBLE LETTER COMBINATIONS) FOR 
HIS, HIS FAMILY'S, HIS STAFF'S AND HIS SECURITY GUARD'S 
CARS.  SIMILARLY, SAMVEL ALEKSIAN (LFIK SAMO), A PROUD OWNER 
OF YEREVAN'S SECOND HUMMER AND ARMENIA'S SUGAR MONOPOLY, HAS 
RESERVED 06 XX 006 AND VARIATIONS THEREOF FOR HIS FRIENDS 
AND FAMILY.  RUBEN HAYRAPETIAN, A.K.A. NEMETS (GERMAN) RUBO 
OWNS YEREVAN'S THIRD HUMMER, THE GRAND TOBACCO COMPANY AND 
THE PLATES 05 XX 005.  A FOURTH HUMMER, OWNED BY PRESIDENT 
KOCHARIAN'S SON, BEARS THE PLATE 07 UU 007, THOUGH IN A NOD 
TO DEMOCRACY (OR PERHAPS, JAMES BOND) VARIATIONS OF THE 007 
PATTERN ARE STILL AVAILABLE TO THE WELL-CONNECTED FOR USD 
2,000 - 3,000, PAYABLE TO THE HEAD OF THE TRAFFIC POLICE. 
 
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UPWARD MOBILITY 
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5. (SBU) CUSTOM LICENSE PLATES AREN'T RESERVED FOR YEREVAN'S 
RICH.  REGIONAL BOSSES HAVE THEIR OWN THEMES: 03 XX 001 
MEANS LITTLE IN YEREVAN BUT TELLS RESIDENTS OF GYUMRI THAT 
THE OWNER IS FRIENDS OR FAMILY WITH GYUMRI'S MINISTER OF 
PARLIAMENT.  MIDDLE CLASS CITIZENS ARE PAYING MORE MODEST 
SUMS FOR LESS PRESTIGIOUS PLATES--THAT IS, THOSE WITH 
MISMATCHED NUMBERS OR WITHOUT THE TWO ZEROS.  A LADA NIVA 
FOR SALE AT A YEREVAN CAR MARKET WITH LICENSE PLATE 08 LT 
009 COSTS USD 3,000 WITHOUT PLATES, USD 4,500 WITH.  THE 
STRAIGHT 12 LL 345, OR THE FULL HOUSE, 44 LL 333, CAN GO FOR 
AS LITTLE AS USD 150. 
 
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SAFETY IN NUMBERS 
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6. (SBU) BESIDES THE BENEFITS OF VANITY AND PRESTIGE, LUCKY 
NUMBER PLATES BRING IMMUNITY FROM HARASSMENT BY THE TRAFFIC 
POLICE.  BECAUSE SPECIAL PLATES SIGNIFY A SPECIAL 
RELATIONSHIP--FIDUCIARY OR OTHERWISE--WITH THE HEAD OF 
TRAFFIC POLICE, THE STREET POLICE ARE UNDERSTANDABLY 
RELUCTANT TO STOP CARS BEARING CUSTOM NUMBERS.  WHILE A 
BRAZEN TRAFFIC COP MIGHT NEVERTHELESS STOP A CAR BEARING THE 
SIMPLE 12 XX 123 (WHICH SIGNALS, AFTER ALL, LITTLE 
CONNECTION AND A WILLINGNESS TO PAY PETTY BRIBES), A PLATE 
BEARING, FOR EXAMPLE, 05 XX 555 (BELONGING TO MANVEL 
GRIGORIAN, THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF DEFENSE, FORMER TRUCK 
DRIVER AND KARABAKH WAR HERO, ONCE ACCUSED OF ACCEPTING 
KICKBACKS FROM PUBLIC UTILITIES IN ECHMIADZIN) IS "AS GOOD 
AS RED [DIPLOMATIC] PLATES" SAYS AN EMBASSY DRIVER AND 
FORMER TRAFFIC POLICE OFFICER. 
 
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COMMENT: A LITTLE MORE EQUAL? 
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7. (SBU) EVEN THOSE ARMENIANS WHO ARE UNWILLING TO PAY FOR 
CUSTOM LICENSE NUMBERS ARE SURPRISINGLY WILLING TO ACCEPT 
THE PRACTICE AS LEGITIMATE.  IT IS NOT PERCEIVED AS REAL 
CORRUPTION, NOTED THE EMBASSY FRAUD INVESTIGATOR, BECAUSE 
ANYONE CAN RECEIVE A NORMAL (RANDOM) LICENSE PLATE WITHOUT 
PAYING A FACILITATION FEE AND, OF COURSE, ALL PRIVATE 
NUMBERS TECHNICALLY HAVE THE SAME LEGAL STATUS.  PERHAPS 
ARMENIANS ARE SO KEEN TO ACCEPT (AND SUPPORT) THE SYSTEM 
BECAUSE IT SIMPLY ADDS CLARITY TO FAMILIAR SYSTEMS OF 
NEPOTISM AND FAVORITISM.  AT LEAST YOU ALWAYS KNOW WHO'S 
CUTTING IN FRONT OF YOU... 
WALKER