(MENAFN- Trend News Agency ) Baku, Azerbaijan, April 20
By Azer Ahmadbayli – Trend:
'Armenia's security requires maximum responsibility of the country's leadership. That is why the leader of the ruling party should not put forward anyone for the Prime Minister's place [except for himself].' This was stated in the Armenian Parliament by the former president, prime minister candidate, Serzh Sargsyan, during his pre-election speech on April 17.
This strange argument does not withstand any criticism, and the residents of Yerevan, Gyumri and Vanadzor, who took to the streets a week ago, surely have a different opinion on this matter.
At the session of the Parliament, PM Mane Tandilyan recalled the promises given by Sargsyan in his 2008 electoral program when running for president, which have completely failed.
The PM reminded that today the country has more than one million poor (the country's total population was 2.97 million as of January 1, 2018), and that there are two million people in the country who earn less than 58,000 drams ($120) per month, that is, less than the minimum consumer basket.
'You said the job would seek people. It is interesting, what do hundreds of thousands of people, who left the country for work to support their families, think about it. The job was likely looking for them, but never found,' said Tandilyan.
The biggest threat Armenia faces since the beginning of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is continuous migration of the population to Russia, Western Europe and the USA. This has been admitted by the country's officials and proved by world's statistical institutes.
About 380,000 people left Armenia in 10 years according to official statistics, Liya Khojoyan, journalist of Eurasia Daily news agency said in an interview to Iton.tv.
Here I stop. It is easy for everyone to check and make sure that all vital indicators of Armenian economy – unemployment, poverty, migration, sovereign debt, foreign investment, etc. – have been worsening since the beginning of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This fact is a good answer to the questions of those protesting today in Yerevan about the nation's deteriorating performance.
Economic discontent made Armenians come out to streets twice within the last years to put end to their worsening conditions of life. I mean events of the so-called Electromaydan in 2015, and Sasna Tsrer in 2016. Both popular movements failed.
Now, the Armenian society again is buzzing like a beehive, and again the protests might end in nothing.
Until Armenia does not stop occupation of others' lands and establish normal relations with its neighbors, no development should be expected in that country.
However, nobody dares to voice this publicly at today's street rallies, because it is very hard for the Armenian people to admit this.
Azerbaijan does not gloat over problems the Armenian people face, for at least one reason – they are our closest neighbors but… they should finally open their eyes.
Follow Trend on Telegram. Only most interesting and important news
MENAFN2004201801870000ID1096749877
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.