SERGE SARGSYAN: "I HAVE NEVER BEEN AN ADVENTURER"

Panorama.am
20:10 12/09/2007

Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan is taking in stride the news that the
two main candidates for president in the coming elections will be
himself and Levon Ter Petrosyan.

"I take these predictions in stride, that I am putting forth my
candidacy for president. I think it is early to talk about this. Our
strategy has nothing to do with how many or how few candidates there
will be. Our most important goal is to have positive evaluations by
international organizations and the Armenian people concerning the
results of the elections," Sargsyan said while meeting with journalists
in the National Assembly.

Sargsyan noted that the state budget would be much larger than the
previous one.

The prime minister said that taxes and custom fees would cover the
new budget, partly by way of cutting into the shadow economy. To
the question of whether this was merely a pre-election promise,
Sargsyan answered, "I haven’t said such a thing; only adventurists
make pre-election promises, which could put the country’s interests
at risk. I have never been an adventurist."