ACCORDING TO EDUARD AGHAJANOV, ABNORMAL POLITICAL SYSTEM RESULTED IN ABNORMAL ECONOMIC SYSTEM IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Feb 28, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 28, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenia registers a higher than
usual economic growth in the year of holding national elections,
whereas the opposite should have happened, economist Eduard Aghajanov
said at the February 28 press conference. According to him, in
Armenia elections are not a political process that may result in some
tension and slow down the economic growth. Elections are political
shows organized by the authorities and their results are known in
advance. "An abnormal political system was created in our country,
which in its turn has resulted in the formation of an abnormal economic
system," he said.

By examining the economic development of the country in the past 10
years, the economist found that in the period of 1997-2002, the foreign
trade deficit declined by 27% in case of a one-digit economic growth,
while in 2002-2007, the deficit grew by 420% under conditions of a
two-digit economic growth. In his words, such a thing cannot happen
in any country.

Another economic absurdity, according to E. Aghajanov, is that by data
of the Pension Fund, 460 thousand working people "keep" 530 thousand
pensioners in Armenia, that is, the ratio makes 0.85/1. In most
developed countries where the population is aging, this ratio makes
2/1 and is considered to be a dangerous tendency. E. Aghajanov said
that the current ratio in Armenia shows that at least 100 thousand
of the total number of pensioners are "dead souls, at whose expense
some people are making money". According to him, the real number of
working people, quite the opposite, is greater than their statistical
number. Besides, the real salaries paid to workers exceed at least
threefold the ones recorded in account books. Taking into account only
this reserve of "grey salaries", pensions could have been raised by
100% instead of 60%.

In the words of E. Aghajanov, in Armenia it is a natural phenomenon
that there is an inflation and a decline in the dollar’s exchange
rate after elections. "Some people spent money during the elections
and now they want to recover them," he said.

According to him, the business and power have intergrown in Armenia,
and it is the most dangerous form of corruption because it shatters
the bases of the state and brings the country to ruin. As he put it,
corruption has become a state institution in Armenia, and an attempt
to eliminate it at once may result in the collapse of the country’s
economic system.

E. Aghajanov expressed an opinion that the entrance of Levon
Ter-Petrosian has clarified the political field and initiated political
processes which may lead to formation of a normal economic system.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress