“During my tenure in the prime minister’s position about 350,000 citizens left the country but during Kocharyan’s tenure over 700,000 people left Armenia. During Kocharyan’s tenure, specifically in 1999 the official number of the population was announced 3,8 million, but in two years after that the number of population became 3,2 million in Armenia,” said ANC representative and ex-PM Hrant Bagratyan during yesterday’s press conference. According to him, the export value in 2008 was less by 1,69 billion even compared to 1996. “Of course during our tenure the economy was tending to degradation, which was first of all due to the fact that we were in war. However, due to the fact that during our tenure, when we had just stopped the war, fewer citizens were leaving the country than during Kocharyan’s presidency, I believe it is a result of wrong economic policy and it is due to Kocharyan’s bad efforts during the ten years of his presidency. During the war our priority goal was to be stronger than the other party, and we did it. All our victories we had during the time I was the PM were due to this privilege,” said Hrant Bagratyan.
Concerning the government’s monetary policy and rapid changes of currency rates Mr. Bagratyan said that the opinions that the government had freed the exchange rates were not true. He says that now the government is still controlling the exchange rates and resisting the price increase. “Now I am worried about the fact that they are pressing the prices down and one day this system will explode. Ashot Shahnazaryan says that they will not let the prices go up. Who are you to let or not to let? What is the market for?” said the ex-PM and announced that if the government has decided to define prices they should openly announce their decision to adopt a policy of planned economy.