ArmInfo. The impossibility of reaching an agreement in accordance with our interests around any transaction cannot be the reason for bargaining on the sovereignty of Armenia, member of the My Step parliamentary faction Hayk Gevorgyan expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo, commenting on the possibility of raising gas prices in the country.
"My approach does not allow any concessions in this matter. The rise in price of any product should not become a reason for turning the sovereignty of the country into a bargain. We should not make concessions in this matter in order to buy something cheaper, the same with respect to the gas issue: we'll buy it more expensive this year, but we will buy it cheaper next year. I don't see any problems here, as our economy, fortunately, is able to absorb the difference in gas prices," he said.
The latter fact Gevorgyan causes the currently observed drop in prices for essential goods. Noting the increase in the value of some goods, the parliamentarian emphasized that, at the same time, prices for essential goods: meat, gasoline, eggs, butter, etc. dropped significantly. The fall in prices of goods included in the consumer basket, in his opinion, in general, leads to lower costs for citizens.
Commenting on the accusations that the authorities did not have an effective anti-crisis program, Gevorgyan pointed out the absence of at least one country in the world, which, after the start of the coronavirus pandemic, introduced a powerful program containing answers to all current challenges and threats. According to him, the anti-crisis programs implemented by the Armenian government today are much more effective than similar programs in many other countries.
"Despite a number of artificial factors contributing to the devaluation of the Armenian dram, the spread of panic, etc., the Central Bank is currently buying dollars from the market in order to suspend the revaluation of the dram. We see that the dollar is approaching the rate that was in early March. At the same time, the crisis still remains and that is why it is called a crisis, because there are no programs in nature that can prepare the state for it and thereby prevent it, "he said.
Gevorgyan also reminded critics of the government the difference between the global crisis that began in 2009 and the current situation. According to him, this time the Armenian economy did not face the problems that it faced in the previous crisis, due to the great stability, safety margin of the economy, the presence of an airbag.
"In the first 4 months of 2018, revenues to the state budget amounted to 268 billion drams. In the same period of 2019, already 388 billion drams. From January to April of the current year, 485 billion drams came to the state budget in the form of taxes and duties. And this, for the record , under the conditions of the coronavirus and the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus. Our critics say only words, we speak in real numbers, "the parliamentarian concluded.
