Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Syunik province business forum that what is taking place in Armenia is a debate between craziness and realism.
According to him, their political task is to make Armenia a country of where crazy ideas can be implemented. The PM also noted that the economic development of Armenia should rely on an individual effort.
"Tatever is the idea of a group of people. And our key task is to provide courage to many people to create, think, dream and implement in Armenia. These forums in provinces serve this goal," Armenpress cited Pashinyan as saying.
The PM highlighted that the entry of major investors to Armenia, but expressed confidence that they firstly are attracted by the talented people.
Former head of the Central Bank of Armenia, Bagrat Asatryan, said earlier that the republic's economic plans are hindered by the the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"Of course, some problems can be resolved without resolving the conflict - problem of monopolization of business, problem of politics affection business. Structural transformations can really help to resolve these issues. But, of course, we understand that globally, no country involved in existing military conflict can develop quickly and dynamically. Whether we like it or not, we're burdened by huge military expenditures. And peace will be achieved, these resources can be spent on culture, education and social reforms. So naturally, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is an obstacle to development of Armenia," Bagrat Asatryan pointed out.
He also noted that it is the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that brought Armenia to the current state. "Kocharyan and Sargsyan, used this conflict for their own gains, and due to that Armenia couldn't grow, even though pockets of those in power grew at a rapid pace. By the beginning of 2018, most of the republic’s wealth was concentrated in the hands of deputies and government members. At the same time, process of impoverishment of society became more acute than ever - in the same period, about a third of the republic’s population was below the poverty line. If you walk around Yerevan, you can clearly see it - poverty in residential areas, expensive foreign cars near the government and parliament buildings," the former head of the Central Bank of Armenia stressed.
The writer, journalist, Vesti FM radio station host Armen Gasparyan, in turn, stressed that Armenia needs very serious economic and social reforms. "Also I don't know whether any economic breakthrough is possible, even with a decrease in the level of corruption. The fact is that the republic cannot be moved geographically - it will continue to have borders with Turkey without diplomatic relations, and Azerbaijan, being in a state of war, both borders are closed," he said.
