CONSCIOUS IDEA IS IDEA, UNCONSCIOUS IDEA IS …
Hakob Badalyan

Lragir, Armenia
Nov 1 2006

The problem of transport of Armenia is downplayed by the volume of
Russian investments. Haylur reported that President Robert Kocharyan
expressed this interesting idea during his visit to Moscow.

Certainly, investments and transport are interrelated. When there
are no transport routes, it is natural that the country cannot be
attractive for investments. The vivid example is Armenia, where the
investments of Germany, which is a leading country by the volume of
its foreign investments, hardly total 97 million dollars. And it is at
least surprising that instead of relating the Armenian president simply
opposed transport and investments saying that the absence of one is
downplayed by the other. Or maybe it is known to Robert Kocharyan in
case of which amount of investments Armenia will not need transport
routes any more. In reality, it is clear that the Armenian president
has nothing else to say especially if he is in Moscow. The Russians
have blocked the transport route of Armenia, and by the way, it is
not important why, even if we take into account that they had blocked
Verin Lars long before the Russian-Georgian tensions. Consequently,
either the Armenian president should not have talked about transport
in Moscow, which would definitely appear strange, or first he should
have demanded explanation from Russia about its indifference towards
its strategic partner. However, as usual, Robert Kocharyan chose the
third way – to speak and to justify Russia. And, in fact, in Moscow
the Armenian president raised the issue of transport and immediately
let it go, saying that there are no routes but instead the Russians
are making investments.

Meanwhile, Russian investments in the Armenian economy total about
67 million dollars. In addition, this is the index of the official
statistics. Ostensibly, this 67 million dollar is the price of the
transport route of Armenia. Is it expensive or cheap? It is hard to
tell. If it were easy, the president would tell about it in Moscow.

He did not tell, it means it is not important. And would we exchange
the rest of the transport routes for another 67 million dollars? Why
not? Especially that soon we will not need them anymore, given the
decline in exports, reported by the same official statistics.