ACCORDING TO GAGIK MINASIAN, WE NEED POLITICAL SOLIDARITY IN COUNTRY TO EXECUTE BUDGET
Noyan Tapan
April 2, 2008
YEREVAN, APRIL 2, NOYAN TAPAN. The indices of this year’s first quarter
are lower than those envisaged by the budget, the reason of which is
the instable situation formed in the country. Gagik Minasian, the
Chairman of the RA National Assembly Standing Committee of Finance
and Crediting and Budget Issues, a member of the RPA faction, said
at the April 2 press conference. According to him, this is the first
case during the past 6-7 years, when the budget’s quarter indices
are so much lower than the envisaged ones.
G. Minasian considers that if the budget program fails to be executed,
the whole society will suffer and especially its vulnerable part. In
order to avoid it we need political solidarity and consent between
various strata of society and political forces. The government should
start implementing reforms of second generation, which, in particular,
presumes guaranteeing of an equal competitive fueld for all economic
entities and considerable reduction of shady economy. Home political
stability should be restored to solve these problems, without which
Armenia will lose the advantage it had over the other South Caucasian
countries in the past years.
G. Minasian gave assurance that the Millennium Challenge program
will not be suspended for Armenia. According to him, to have such
a stable partner as Armenia in the South Caucasus is beneficial for
the United States. In its turn, Armenia is also interested in normal
relations with the United States, which proceeds from the principles
of country’s complementarianism policy.
According to G. Minasian, all six points of the proposal made to the
Armenian government by Ago Group should be discussed first. According
to him, a mutual agreement can be achieved very quickly on part of
them, and it can take longer to come to an agreement on other points,
which are to be subjected to an expertise.
The deputy from RPA did not exclude the possibility of a dialogue
with first Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosian, "irrespective
of the position that pole has today." According to G. Minasian,
the coalition was created in the very result of the solidarity
proposal made by newly elected President Serge Sargsian. And though
coalition forces have different priorities, there is a common goal,
for achieving which they should make compromises. G. Minasian also
said that in difference to the previous one, this time coalition
forces will be completely responsible for government’s activity.