Vardan Bostandzhyan, a member of the Armenian National Assembly and representative of the "Flourishing Armenia" political party.
- What's the aim of the recent personnel changes in the Government?
- The aim of these changes is to make the working of government more efficient and provide the country with a highly-qualified official. President Serzh Sargsyan, addressing the assembled politicians during the 20th anniversary meeting of the Republican party of Armenia, underlined that officials should be highly qualified.
- The Minister of Economic Development was replaced by the Minister of Finance, who was replaced by the Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank. Does this mean that the former officials were unable to deal with the
new economic situation?
- All newly-appointed ministers are young professionals; they all have a great deal of experience already. For instance, Tigran Dovtyan, before he was appointed Minister of Economic Development, was working in the financial sector for many years. I don't think that these changes should be seen from the point of view you expressed.
- Do you think that the appointment of Yerevan's mayor is part of a political game? It's clear that Yerevan is a city that provides almost one half of the country's votes.
- I know the Karapetyan family very well. These people are good, talented managers. The newly appointed mayor of Yerevan, Karen Karapetyan, is also a good manager. Perhaps his appointment is a victory for the Republican Party, but there's still nothing to worry about. I don't believe that this appointment is part of a political
game.
- According to official data, the decline in agriculture this year amounted to 18 per cent. How is this possible in an agricultural country?
- I believe that it has become possible due to inefficient management of this sphere of production. Of course, natural factors contributed much to this decline, but the main cause is that governmental efforts to resolve the issue were not enough. The economic crisis and natural catastrophes damaged agriculture in Armenia, but their effect could have been restricted if the officials responsible had reacted properly.
- What difficulties is Armenia going to face in 2011?
- Many experts speaking about the economic situation in Armenia express great concern and seem sceptical. However, the effect of the economic crisis in the country was not fatal. The government is doing its best to cope with the problem. That is why I don't think any catastrophe is imminent.
David Stepanyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to VK
