YEREVAN, November 29. /ARKA/. Addressing the residents of the town of Martuni in Gegharkunik province today, the acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said no entrepreneur in Armenia will be forced to give part of their businesses to someone else.
During a September 11 rally in Yerevan, Pashinyan demanded that ex-president Robert Kocharyan and all the oligarchs return the assets they stole from the people. In particular, he set a deadline for Alexander Sargsyan, the brother of another former president Serzh Sargsyan, to withdraw $30 million from a local bank and return it to the state budget, saying this is the money he had extorted from local business people for which he was nicknamed “Sashik 50%”. Yesterday, Pashinyan announced that Alexander Sargsyan was ready to return the $30 million to the state budget.
"I want to ask all our compatriots working abroad to return to the country and invest not only in building houses, but also in the creation of enterprises. I guarantee that no one else in Armenia will dare to seize part or parts of their businesses,’ Pashinyan said in Martuni today. He said he believes that in the next five years Armenia will be able to make an economic revolution.
“We are sure that you can work and also get rich. And our main business is to create conditions for citizens to work effectively. And as we made a political revolution in Armenia 7 months ago, we must now make an economic revolution together in the next five years,” declared Pashinyan.
Pashinyan is visiting Armenian regions to campaign for his My Step alliance for December 9 early parliamentary elections. He resigned October 16 to clear way for the dissolution of the parliament and holding early parliamentary elections. Under the Armenian Constitution, early elections are held if lawmakers fail twice within 14 days to appoint a prime minister.
Pashinyan was elected as PM by the country's National Assembly after former president turned-prime minister Serzh Sargsyan resigned on April 23 under immense public pressure provided by weeks of nationwide protest against Sargsyan and his Republican Party.
Nine political parties and 2 blocs will be contesting the polls. They are My Step bloc, the Prosperous Armenia Party, the National Progress Party, the Christian-National Revival, the Sasna Tsrer All-Armenian Party, the Orinats Yerkir Party, the We bloc, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party, the Bright Armenia bloc, the Republican Party of Armenia, the Social Democratic Party and the Decision of Citizen party. -0-