Azernews.Az

By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Against the background of deteriorating indicators in the Armenian economy, Prime Minister Pashinyan has given a long press conference which has turned into a show.

Pashinyan was obliged to report on what he had done and what he had not during the year of his power, and to try to explain to Armenians why their life has not become better.

Having come to power, Pashinyan promised a lot to the Armenians. In fact, he fulfilled only one promise - he put in jail his political opponents. The promises to raise wages and pensions, create new jobs, eliminate unemployment and poverty, ensure "great repatriation", revive the industry, save Sevan lake, attract billions of dollars in Armenia, and so on, turned out empty words.

Nothing new has happened, turining Pashinyan’s press conference essentially into excuses and explanations why he failed the year.

Pashinyan promised a lot of investment immediately after the coup. When this did not happen, he postponed his “deadline” for after the parliamentary elections. However, investments not only did not grow but even decreased.

He explained the decline in investment due to the fact that a number of mining companies, in particular, Lydian Armenia, which operates the Amulsari gold mine, suspended their activities. At the same time, Pashinyan stated that the time had come to abandon the extractive industry as the basis of the Armenian economy.

Earlier, due to interference in its activities, Lydian stopped investing in Armenia. The situation created around this British-American-Canadian company, made other major foreign investors think about whether to invest in Armenia. It became clear that the country does not give guarantees to foreign investors and anyone can lose money here due to the government’s failure.

Thus, all hopes on the foreign investments remained only on the diaspora, which Pashinyan himself acknowledged.

Another serious and decisive promise for the country was to return all runaway citizens to Armenia, as well as to organize “the great repatriation”. Previously Pashinyan estimated that immediately after the velvet revolution, compatriots will rush to return to their homeland, trying to settle once and for all in “free Armenia.”

However, the country’s population continues to fall in number. As of April 1, 2019, the population decreased by another 7,800 people, although the prime minister promised that in the next 20 years the population of Armenia will double.

When, against the background of an unconditional drop in the one-year government’s rating and poorly tangible changes for the better for the general population, Pashinyan cites achievements such as increasing government incomes or subsidizing them at the expense of the state budget, then people do not have a sense of pride in these imaginary achievements, but, on the contrary, severe irritation and discomfort.

New authorities, as the previous ones, do not contribute to the emergence of jobs in high-tech companies. If the state will continue to refuse support for high-tech industries, after 10 years Armenia will not have even a chance that something own will appear in this area.

Pashinyan said at the press conference how many washing machines were donated to the army, how many video surveillance systems were installed at the border, how many conscripts were replaced by contract servicemen. Meanwhile, suicides continue in the Armenian army, hazing blossoms, there is no military discipline.

The main issue that Pashinyan did not resolve, which would automatically solve much of what he promised, is the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Over the past year, it has not progressed at all; on the contrary, the process has become even more confused.

To do this, he should overcome the nationalist sentiments and the tough position of a certain part of the Armenian public. Pashinyan at least should understand that the fulfillment of all the promises given to Armenians depends on peace with the neighbors.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

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