Armenia completely dependent on foreign investment
By Abdul Kerimkhanov
The fact that the Armenian economy is falling apart is not hidden anymore even in the Armenian political circles. During the first months of reign of the post-revolutionary authorities in the country, many were already convinced of the incapacity of the new Armenian government to solve primitive problems.
Recently, Armenian Minister of Economy Tigran Khachatryan made a sad confession about the state of the Armenian economy. During a meeting with Armenian diplomats, Khachatryan urged them to seek investment abroad.
He noted that today, Armenia’s per capita income is about 15 times less compared to leading countries, adding that the productivity is eight times lower than in any European country.
Moreover, Khachatryan said that a similar sad situation is observed in almost all areas of the economy.
This situation should not be surprising for Armenians, since a year ago, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced a shocking volume of corruption in the country.
Meanwhile, The National Security Service of Armenia has detained the former Finance Minister Gagik Khachatryan. Special investigative service reported that he was accused of abuse of power and organized misappropriation on an especially large scale.
It was reported that Khachatryan caused damage to the state in the amount of 800 million drams ($1.7 million). In addition, the special investigative service reported that besides the above-mentioned funds, Khachatryan could cause even more harm to the economy of Armenia.
When the velvet revolution took place on April 2018, Armenians hoped for a change for the better. However, Pashinyan was unable to meet the expectations of his supporters.
Edmond Marukyan, the head of the "Enlightened Armenia" Party, sees problems in priorities proclaimed in Armenia’s foreign policy. As for Armenia’s achievements after the revolution, Marukyan noted that as a product for sale abroad, Armenia has only "democracy and freedom of speech".
“When we say abroad that we are a democratic country, we are asked: What reforms have you carried out over the past year and a half? At the moment, there is nothing. We can answer only how the revolution happened, but we cannot say anything about reforms,” Marukyan noted.
Thus, hiding behind the “triumph of democracy” in the country, the new Armenian government continues the policy of the previous one – it destroys what is left of the Armenian economy.
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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94
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