Ex-prime minister ridicules government’s five-year program

ARKA, Armenia
Feb 14 2019

YEREVAN, February 14. /ARKA/. A former Armenian prime minister Hrant Bagratyan lashed out today at the five-year program of the Armenian government, calling the bulk of its provisions ‘idle talk" and describing the others as ‘ridiculous and empty.’

"Overall, everything that is concrete in this program is wrong, but there is no specifics either in what is right," he wrote on his Facebook page.

More specifically, Bagratyan described as "idle talk" the provisions of the program related to external and internal security issues, education, science, culture and health. He said some of the provisions lack specifics or implementation plans, and some are simply presented in the form of slogans, for example, the introduction of medical insurance or the fight against corruption.

Bagratyan also noted that the program is scarce in numbers and specific indicators. The first figure he says appears on the 40th page, which refers to an average GDP growth of 5%.

He also said the goal of increasing the share of exports in GDP to 43-45% in five years is incredible and unreasonable questioning also the government’s ability to introduce agricultural insurance system. Bagratyan ridiculed also the provision to make Armenia a regional electric power hub. -0-