“Get smarter and revise the budget, which you have adopted,” during yesterday’s debate the ex-president of the Central Bank, member of the Armenian National Congress Bagrat Asatryan petitioned to the members of the government and the NA representatives. The debate on the ways of overcoming the economic recession also hosted the deputy-minister of finance of RA Vardan Aramyan and a Prosperous Armenia MP Vadran Bostanjyan. According to him the 16.3 percent economic decline in Armenia is due to bad work in the last quarter of 2008. The government had estimated economic growth but 20 percent decline was reported. He says current growth in trade and services is conditioned by the shade economy. “At least you should have apologized for your incorrect policy. Therefore the government shouldn’t have much freedom, especially when they are making so many mistakes.” By the way, yesterday the deputy-minister of finance of RA Vardan Aramyan admitted that the government didn’t predict that the impact of the global crisis would be so tremendous on Armenia. And Bostanjyan advised everyone to “open their eyes.” The member of parliament says one of the causes of the current economic problems is the obscure estimates by experts. I do not think it is bad to borrow money and subsidize the economy. Bostanjyan says there is outflow of capital which means that in Armenia the right to property is not protected. The government takes steps to overcome the crisis and there will be positive results in 2010, he says. Asatryan predicts that in 2010 there may be growth in agriculture and industries but these are optimistic estimates. At best, the economic growth of Armenia will total 1.5 percent next year. Bagrat Asatryan thinks the influence of the Russian economy on the Armenian economy will be deciding on which it depends greatly. “Only if at least 3 percent steady economic growth is reported in Russia, in 2011 our economy will start stabilizing,” Asatryan said.
