WE LIVE IN A COUNTRY OF DISTORTING MIRRORS, FORMER CHAIRMAN OF CBA SAYS

Noyan Tapan
Jan 27, 2010

YEREVAN, JANUARY 27, NOYAN TAPAN. The recently published official
statistics on the Armenian economy in 2009 show those negative
developments that economists forecast long ago. Bagrat Asatrian,
former Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA), made this
statement at a debate on January 27. He said that in 2008 GDP amounted
to billlion, whereas in 2009 it amounted to .1 billion, which means
that the economic decline made 30-32%. In the words of B. Asatrian,
the outside world judges Armenia by this index, however, according to
him, the quality of Armenian citizens’ life did not decline by 30%,
from which a contradiction arises. "It means that we live in a country
of distorting mirrors," B. Asatrian noted.

Another participant of the debate – member of "Prosperous Armenia"
parliamentary faction Vardan Bostanjian said that the opposition
should always express negative opinions about the state of the country,
while the authorities should praise it. However, he added, it is weak
opposition that sees everything in a bad light, whereas the authorities
would welcome constructive proposals from opposition members.

Objecting to him, B. Asatrian said that the Armenian authorities
are ignoring the opposition’s proposals, and in general there is
political intolerance in Armenia. As regards the expected rise in the
gas tariff, he said that throughout the world the gas price has fallen
to 0 per thousand cubic meters, whereas in Armenia it will soon pass
the 200 dollar mark. In his words, in fact the Russian state company
receives gas on preferential terms and then it sells it to Armenian
consumers at a price which is several times as much. He said that
the RA State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition
"should not allow this company to rob the population".

V. Bostanjian declared that mankind has existed from time immemorial
and people have lived without gas for millenniums. "Is it mandatory to
use gas now? Let them go to their villages and burn dry dung there,"
the member of "Prosperous Armenia" faction said.