GREATER THE OLIGARCH’S POWER, THE LESS ARMENIA WILL DEVELOP: HRANT BAGRATYAN
Tert.am
14:47 09.10.09
Ex-Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Hrant Bagratyan referred
to the economic consequences of Armenian-Turkish border opening while
speaking with journalists today.
"Of course, one should prepare for economic relations, sooner or later
we had to collide with Turkish capital, with Turkish business. The
difference is that Turkish medium entrepreneur is more dynamic,
more literate and more advanced, than the Armenian one. It will be
the first time we will mingle with the Turkish people during our
thousand-year history of contact when the Turkish people are more
advanced than us in all aspects," Bagratyan said.
According to Bagratyan, if the border opens, generally trade will allow
production in Armenia to be cheaper, but "an interesting phenomena
will take place which may mix everything up."
"Armenia’s centralized, oligarchic economy will collide with Turkey’s
non-centralized, non-oligarchic dynamic private sector. Turkey’s
number one advantage is its dynamic private sector, everyone says
this," the ex-prime minister stated.
According to him, the imported Turkish products will be cheaper and
the local producer’s situation will worsen slightly at first, but,
according to Bagratyan, it cannot be said that if the local producer’s
situation worsens, then we cannot have contact with Turkey.
"The most appalling thing for me is not the fact that we have no
production today… For example, in Antalya there are about 5,000
hotel owners. In Armenia, that wouldn’t be allowed, either Kocharian
or some other would be the owners; at the most, ownership would be in
the hands of ten individuals. There is no such greediness in Turkey
as there is in Sevan. We don’t have a private entrepreneur that can
compete with Turkey. At first, Turkish capital will collide with
Armenia’s oligarchs but the Turks are not so foolish as to come and
develop private businesses in Armenia. Sooner or late e oligarchs,
understanding very well the bigger the oligarchs’ power, the less
Armenia will develop. If you want to know the problem, those ten
people don’t allow Armenia to develop, we lose in that case, if we
are internally weak," Bagratyan added.