Tuesday, April 28 2020 13:23

ArmInfo. The impossibility of reaching an agreement in accordance with our interests around any transaction cannot be the reason for bargaining on the sovereignty of  Armenia, member of the My Step parliamentary faction Hayk Gevorgyan  expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo, commenting on the possibility  of raising gas prices in the country.  

"My approach does not allow any concessions in this matter. The rise  in price of any product should not become a reason for turning the  sovereignty of the country into a bargain. We should not make  concessions in this matter in order to buy something cheaper, the  same with respect to the gas issue: we'll buy it more expensive this  year, but we will buy it cheaper next year. I don't see any problems  here, as our economy, fortunately, is able to absorb the difference  in gas prices," he said.  

The latter fact Gevorgyan causes the currently observed drop in  prices for essential goods. Noting the increase in the value of some  goods, the parliamentarian emphasized that, at the same time, prices  for essential goods: meat, gasoline, eggs, butter, etc. dropped  significantly. The fall in prices of goods included in the consumer  basket, in his opinion, in general, leads to lower costs for  citizens.  

Commenting on the accusations that the authorities did not have an  effective anti-crisis program, Gevorgyan pointed out the absence of  at least one country in the world, which, after the start of the  coronavirus pandemic, introduced a powerful program containing  answers to all current challenges and threats. According to him, the  anti-crisis programs implemented by the Armenian government today are  much more effective than similar programs in many other countries.  

"Despite a number of artificial factors contributing to the  devaluation of the Armenian dram, the spread of panic, etc., the  Central Bank is currently buying dollars from the market in order to  suspend the revaluation of the dram.  We see that the dollar is  approaching the rate that was in early March. At the same time, the  crisis still remains and that is why it is called a crisis, because  there are no programs in nature that can prepare the state for it and  thereby prevent it, "he said.  

Gevorgyan also reminded critics of the government the difference  between the global crisis that began in 2009 and the current  situation. According to him, this time the Armenian economy did not  face the problems that it faced in the previous crisis, due to the  great stability, safety margin of the economy, the presence of an   airbag.  

"In the first 4 months of 2018, revenues to the state budget amounted  to 268 billion drams. In the same period of 2019, already 388 billion  drams. From January to April of the current year, 485 billion drams  came to the state budget in the form of taxes and duties. And this,  for the record , under the conditions of the coronavirus and the  economic crisis caused by the coronavirus. Our critics say only  words, we speak in real numbers, "the parliamentarian concluded.