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ARMENIAN EX-PREMIER SLAMS GOVERNMENT'S ECONOMIC POLICIES
A. Khechoyan's
Aravot
June 7 2008
Armenia
Incumbent Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan has sued former
Prime Minister Hrant Bagratyan. The latter stated in his publications
(including those in Aravot paper) that while being the chairman
of the Central Bank, Tigran Sargsyan had caused the bankruptcy of
Ardshinbank, Agrobank and Knaybank so that these banks could be handed
over to proteges of [President] Serzh Sargsyan and [former President]
Robert Kocharyan. Bagratyan said this at his news conference yesterday,
saying that he would win in the European Court anyway.
Former Prime Minister Hrant Bagratyan, who is also an economist,
believes that the government programme is a collection of "blah,
blah, blah".
"The government's words to make Armenia the region's financial centre
is another 'blah, blah, blah' that our society is being fed with,"
Hrant Bagratyan assessed in this way the latest activities of the
government at a discussion club on 6 June. Bagratyan said it was a
series of "blah, blah, blah". "Because it is so general that it is
acceptable for all countries. If we replace the Republic of Armenia
with Bangladesh, it will be acceptable for Bangladesh." He spoke about
his objections to the priorities in the programme: "The programme
says that the share of taxes will be increasing by 0.3-0.4 per cent
annually, which means that no changes are expected."
Touching upon the science and education part of the programme, he
said that it lacked a concept of education entities, while it would
only help eliminate school classes. "Shortcomings in the health care
system are obvious. The state should finance not the hospitals,
but the patients," Bagratyan said. He also said that at large the
government's programme should comply with political tasks: "When it
comes to policies, foreign policy says that the basis is the concept
of national security, which is empty and is a collection of another
'blah, blah, blah'".
According to him, the priorities should be the problems connected
with stability or development of the state: "First, we should look
into restoring a market economy. We need to ensure that there is
competition."
Touching upon our banking system, Bagratyan said that the Armenian
banking system was the least developed one compared to the ones in
Azerbaijan and Georgia: "Our bank assets make only about 20-25 per
cent of GDP, whereas the development in Azerbaijan is much quicker. In
addition, deposits are liable to tax in our country. The banking system
in our country has no chance of integrating into the regional system
for a simple reason that the assets are extremely small. One single
bank in Azerbaijan has assets of the same size as all the banks of
Armenia altogether." He said that Armenia was a country where banks
had to report to the Central Bank any information on any deposit or
investment at any moment: "If you put 1,000 dollars in a bank, the
Central Bank can inform the prosecutor's office about it any moment."
He also expressed his opinion about Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan:
"Knowing his personality, I would say that he will play games there and
will do nothing in this government. Would one who would do something
talk that way? He would at least write up a page of something for
what he would bear responsibility."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
A. Khechoyan's
Aravot
June 7 2008
Armenia
Incumbent Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan has sued former
Prime Minister Hrant Bagratyan. The latter stated in his publications
(including those in Aravot paper) that while being the chairman
of the Central Bank, Tigran Sargsyan had caused the bankruptcy of
Ardshinbank, Agrobank and Knaybank so that these banks could be handed
over to proteges of [President] Serzh Sargsyan and [former President]
Robert Kocharyan. Bagratyan said this at his news conference yesterday,
saying that he would win in the European Court anyway.
Former Prime Minister Hrant Bagratyan, who is also an economist,
believes that the government programme is a collection of "blah,
blah, blah".
"The government's words to make Armenia the region's financial centre
is another 'blah, blah, blah' that our society is being fed with,"
Hrant Bagratyan assessed in this way the latest activities of the
government at a discussion club on 6 June. Bagratyan said it was a
series of "blah, blah, blah". "Because it is so general that it is
acceptable for all countries. If we replace the Republic of Armenia
with Bangladesh, it will be acceptable for Bangladesh." He spoke about
his objections to the priorities in the programme: "The programme
says that the share of taxes will be increasing by 0.3-0.4 per cent
annually, which means that no changes are expected."
Touching upon the science and education part of the programme, he
said that it lacked a concept of education entities, while it would
only help eliminate school classes. "Shortcomings in the health care
system are obvious. The state should finance not the hospitals,
but the patients," Bagratyan said. He also said that at large the
government's programme should comply with political tasks: "When it
comes to policies, foreign policy says that the basis is the concept
of national security, which is empty and is a collection of another
'blah, blah, blah'".
According to him, the priorities should be the problems connected
with stability or development of the state: "First, we should look
into restoring a market economy. We need to ensure that there is
competition."
Touching upon our banking system, Bagratyan said that the Armenian
banking system was the least developed one compared to the ones in
Azerbaijan and Georgia: "Our bank assets make only about 20-25 per
cent of GDP, whereas the development in Azerbaijan is much quicker. In
addition, deposits are liable to tax in our country. The banking system
in our country has no chance of integrating into the regional system
for a simple reason that the assets are extremely small. One single
bank in Azerbaijan has assets of the same size as all the banks of
Armenia altogether." He said that Armenia was a country where banks
had to report to the Central Bank any information on any deposit or
investment at any moment: "If you put 1,000 dollars in a bank, the
Central Bank can inform the prosecutor's office about it any moment."
He also expressed his opinion about Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan:
"Knowing his personality, I would say that he will play games there and
will do nothing in this government. Would one who would do something
talk that way? He would at least write up a page of something for
what he would bear responsibility."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress