IN HOVHANNES HOVHANNISIAN’S WORDS, COUNTRY’S ECONOMY SUFFERS FROM ARMENIA’S "DECREPIT" DEMOCRACY

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Nov 7 2006

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, NOYAN TAPAN. Democratic values, in particular,
freedom of expression, became shattered in Armenia, and country’s
economy suffers from this. Hovhannes Hovhannisian, Chairman of
the Liberal Progressive Party of Armenia (LPPA), expressed such an
opinion at the November 7 dispite with Mekhak Mkhitarian, Head of
NA Business deputy group. In his words, if lately the Freedom House
international human rights organization called on the Millennium
Challenge corporation not to provide any funds to Armenia and as
a reason mentioned not ensuring civil freedoms in Armenia, this
means that these freedoms indeed are not at the proper level. In
H.Hovhannisian’s words, the Armenian economy will sustain great
losses unless the expected sum of 235 mln dollars is provided to the
country, which is envisaged for development of Armenia’s border rural
populated areas.

M.Mkhitarian, in his turn, said that the independent Armenia is only
15 years old and this, in his words, is not a sufficient period
for creating really a democratic system. Besides, as M.Mkhitarian
emphasized, in order to have an idea about the democratic indices
in Armenia one should compare them not with the indices of developed
European countries, but with those of CIS member countries.

However, the interlocutors hold the same opinion in the issue that
there is no sound political dialogue in the country. M.Mkhitarian
regretted to say that "the people having civilization of thousand
years has not formed a culture of dispute yet."