“MONEY FOR DAYTON”: THIS IS OPPOSITION REPRESENTATIVES’ OPINION ABOUT
FUNDS ALLOCATED TO ARMENIA UNDER MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE PROGRAM
YEREVAN, MARCH 31, NOYAN TAPAN. “Money for Dayton”: this is the whole
opposition’s opinion about the funds allocated to Armenia under the
Millennium Challenge Program. (NT: The matter concerns the agreements
on Yugoslavia signed in Dayton in 1995.) Aram Karapetian, Chairman
of the New Times Party, stated during a debate held at the Mirror
Club that part of this sum “will be stolen.” However, according to
Gagik Minasian, member of the Republican Party, Chairman of the RA NA
Standing Committee on Financial, Credit, Budget and Economic Issues,
all international experts believe that Armenia’s economy has no rival
in the post-Soviet territory in terms of its legislation and the
progress registered. “There are problems, but to say that the sum was
provided without significant prerequisites is not true,” G. Minasian
noted. A. Karapetian expressed confidence that there is a political
byplay in the allocation of this sum, since the program, in his words,
will not be of any significance for promotion of the economy or an
industrial growth. The political byplay is one: the Nagorno Karabakh
problem and the issue of the liberated territories’ status.
He said that there are rumors circulating that some US subunits will be
depolyed near the northern border of Iran in July-August. G. Minasian
noted that the Millennium Challenge Program is mainly aimed at
poverty reduction in rural areas. Touching upon the issue of the
energy independence of Armenia, Aram Karapetian noted that Armenia
lacks opportunities to import fuel itself.