Azernews.Az

By Rashid Shirinov

The April 2 parliamentary election in Armenia has brought the country not only political, but also economic problems. The prices for goods and services in Armenia have gone up, and this hits ordinary Armenians.

For instance, the price of petrol in Armenia has risen during the last few days. A liter is now sold for 380 drams ($0.8), while the old price was 50 drams cheaper ($0.68). Meanwhile, the diesel fuel has risen in price by 10 drams, the Armenian newspaper Zhoghovurd stated.

Besides, the prices in the food sector of Armenia have also risen. Thus, bananas in Armenian stores now cost 730-750 drams ($1.51-1.55) per kilogram, while the old price was 650-700 drams ($1.34-1.45). It is noteworthy that the owner of the only importer of bananas in Armenia – the Catherine Group company – is Migran Pogosyan, who is a member of the country’s ruling Republican Party.

Obviously, the Armenian MPs, who have own business in the country, have started to collect back the money invested in the pre-election company and vote bribery. As a result, ordinary Armenian people pay the price of this.

“The main wave of inflation will hit Armenia after the Yerevan Council of Elders elections in May. After all, bribes will again be distributed, there will be expenses, and the time will come when they will have to collect their money back,” Zhoghovurd writes.

Meanwhile, the Armenian economy remains critical, demonstrating unbelievably low indices each year. Descending economy, high poverty and increasing outflow of people are the pure realities in Armenia.

The country’s national debt is close to $6 billion, the GDP has declined by 2.6 percent in a year, while the unemployment rate exceeds 18 percent last year. This index is highest among the countries of Central Asia and South Caucasus. Seeing this doleful situation, about 60,000 people left Armenia in 2016.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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