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BAGRATYAN NOTES ECONOMIC BREAKDOWN IN ARMENIA

Economy


Today the world is seeking ways to overcome the global financial crisis. Meantime the Armenian Government takes illogical steps doubling the tax burden. Armenia’s ex Prime Minister Hrant Bagratyan tried to give the answer to this question.


How will you assess the year of 2008 from the economic point of view?


According to the statistics, the fall of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was 45 percent a month. It further went down in December, 2008. It should be noted that the output largely increased in the world in November and December. While in Armenia we faced the opposite scene: the gross agricultural product has decreased twice which means we have returned to 1992. I wouldn’t say 1993-94 as those were fruitful years with a strong government and multiple reforms. /Let us remind that in 1992 the country had two PMs Gagik Harutyunyan and Khosrov Harutyunyan/. The import has reduced by 40 percent whereas most agreements on import are signed at the turn of a year. Practically, if we used to have an import of one milliard drams, this year the import has significantly curtailed if compared with that of 1996. I would like everyone to know this bitter truth. The economy boosted by Robert Kocharyan in ten years was destroyed in 2-3 months.


Will the global financial crisis affect Armenia’s economy?


It will, but very slightly. The economic crisis in Armenia partly depends on the global one. Today we taste the fruits of the so-called dram appreciation initiated by the Central Bank at the head of Tigran Sargsyan. The import has been terminated which means today we cannot produce goods and sell them overseas as they demand certain services in return.