Category: 2019

Development of equivalent capacity is on agenda, not shutdown – PM on nuclear power plant

12:52,

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. The agenda is not about closing the nuclear power station, but developing equivalent capacity, PM Nikol Pashinyan told a news conference today, addressing the terming about the Armenian NPP in CEPA signed with the EU.

“There are multiple discussions regarding the nuclear power station, for the record the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with the EU emphasizes the topic of the nuclear power station’s closure alongside the development of equivalent capacities. Actually it is written not about the closure of the station but the development of equivalent capacity. We will extend the lifecycle of the nuclear power station as much as possible, however it is clear that it cannot work forever. I say again, the topic under discussion in our agenda isn’t the shutdown of the nuclear power station, but the development of equivalent capacity,” Pashinyan said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

‘I myself am the harshest critic of my own government’ – Pashinyan

12:54,

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said he himself is the harshest critic of his own government.

Pashinyan was asked by a reporter at a news conference today what he would criticize the most in the incumbent government if he were opposition.

“There is no restriction of the freedom of speech or critique in Armenia in order for me to imagine myself opposition and criticize the incumbent government. I can reassure that I myself am the biggest and harshest critic of the government in Armenia. Be certain, there is no substantiated criticism for me to hear from someone else and then myself. I hear all critique firstly from myself,” he said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Armenia fully ready to cooperate with EU within the frames of reform agenda, says Pashinyan

13:05,

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. The European Union is ready to support programs in a number of sectors in Armenia. These concern infrastructure development, water reservoir construction, near two dozen water reservoirs are expected to be constructed in Armenia, as well as road construction, police, judicial reforms, energy development, the process of forming an energy corridor, education and tax administration reforms, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan told reporters during today’s press conference in Matenadaran, reports Armenpress.

“We are fully ready to cooperate within the frames of the whole agenda of reforms. The EU leaders also expressed readiness to assist the implementation of all these programs. Here there is one recording: the EU is ready to provide serious support to the programs, but we all understand that it will not finance these programs at once. Armenia also must have its investment. But here we face a problem in connection with the legislative restrictions on state debt”, Pashinyan said. “Armenia’s state debt cannot exceed certain percent of GDP. At this moment the most visible source for Armenia’s investment is the foreign funding which can lead to increase of the state debt volume. And now we must hold a serious discussion whether we are ready to go on this path. We will have a discussion with the Central Bank in the coming 20 days to observe these issues”, the Armenian PM said.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

Series of statements on involving Artsakh in negotiations is not a challenge, but an invitation to dialogue – Pashinyan

13:25,

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. The agenda proposed by Armenia to involve Artsakh in the negotiations for the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is not something new both for the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and Azerbaijan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told reporters today, asked how long Armenia is ready to wait, if Azerbaijan doesn’t agree with the stance of the Armenian side to include Artsakh in the negotiation process, reports Armenpress.

“There is no need to wait at all. It’s just necessary to work consistently in the diplomatic process because, frankly speaking, what is stated publicly, is not something new both for the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and Azerbaijan. What we have said at this period, I have proposed that agenda during certain talks: that is the same agenda which was formed in May 2018, we continue serving that agenda, and I want to highlight an important nuance: as I have already announced in Stepanakert, this is neither a whim nor a precondition from our side. This proposal is not for changing the format, but for restoring the negotiation format. We will continue the discussion on this topic with our partners and will try to continue this discussion in the field of facts because negotiation is a negotiation in a sense that we listen to each other. Armenia has demonstrated that ability, to listen to the other, try to understand, and we expect the same from them”, Pashinyan said.  

He reminded that he made a statement on the necessity to return Artsakh to the negotiation table during the debate of election of the PM in the Parliament, and repeated the same statement during a press conference in Stepanakert on the next day of his election as PM.

“This series of statements is not a challenge, but an invitation to dialogue, is a dialogue process. This dialogue didn’t start just now, it started in Dushanbe, continued in St. Petersburg, Davos, I don’t know where the next dialogue will take place, and we do not imagine a regime where one of the sides says it refuses from dialogue. That will not be a logical approach, we will not refuse from dialogue, will put our facts on the table during that dialogue and will carefully listen to the counter-arguments of our colleagues. I think the constructive and effective solution or continuation must be within this logic framework”, Pashinyan said.  

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

PM claims multi-million dollar smear campaign is underway against government, but domestic political situation is stable as never before

13:50,

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. The domestic political situation in Armenia has never been as stable as today, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a news conference today, noting that this stability isn’t a repressive one, but a democratic stability. He said that the government’s report on its action plan’s performance gives an in-depth description on the changes that took place in this period.

“I don’t think I have to speak much about these changes, but I would like to say one thing. There’s talk about polls, there was this same talk in the summer, autumn of 2018, before and after elections. This isn’t the case when the prime minister isn’t in control of the situation, I am very often in direct contact with people. They write as if the country is in a period of instability, that once again the cycle will begin, a heated spring, a heated summer, look what’s gonna happen. Nothing is going to happen. People must understand their [ship has sailed] long ago, they wouldn’t catch up with it even on a Ferrari if they wanted to, their chapter is closed. They have one way, stand before the people, repent and ask for forgiveness. But let me say, we will guarantee all their desires on being engaged in public and political activities,” Pashinyan said. He expressed certainty that if today elections were to be held, his My Step Alliance would once again win, this time even bigger. In the December 2018 election, My Step won a landslide victory with over 70%.

He claimed that millions of dollars are being spent on a smear campaign against his government, but the government is not taking any actions against this. Pashinyan did not specify who the propagandists are.

The PM stressed that the freedom of speech is an absolute value for the incumbent government.

“These circles must understand they cannot have this kind of business in Armenia, they cannot garner support among the Armenian people,” he said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

PM hopeful of launching Armenia-made military serial production soon

14:07,

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government is making structural and content changes in the military industry sector, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a news conference.

“I am sure we will have significant achievements in this sector. Today, we have important new products that will soon, I hope, be placed on serial production tracks, we have projects that are in final stages of discussion, we have projects that are under discussion, we have projects that are still ideas. I believe that Armenia must truly be a technologically advanced country, and we are headed this way,” Pashinyan said.

As an example, he repeated a statement made earlier by him when he said they shouldn’t focus on having a tank, but the objective that will be solved by having it.

“And we must understand what is this technology that will enable us solving this issue,” the PM said.

“There was a time when in order to transfer information from one place to another people needed paper, a pen, an envelope, a post stamp, a mailman, a horse or a car for reaching the information quickly to its destination. If we were to continue focusing on the paper, the pen and the post stamp, there wouldn’t be any e-mail. And today, the same is done without paper, without a pen or stamp, even without a mailman or transportation, it is done more quickly and efficiently. Therefore, the mechanism of our thinking must undergo the kind of change that this itself will be placed at the foundation of development of our military-industry complex,” he said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

No need to make changes in Constitution at this moment – Pashinyan

14:12,

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan thinks that there is no necessity to change the governance system in Armenia at this moment, the PM said during today’s press conference in response to ARMENPRESS question whether the leadership’s agenda envisages constitutional reforms and what main changes are expected.

“There are certain discussions on the framework which we have talked about in our pre-election program. The talk, in particular, is about the very strict restrictions in the Constitution on engaging the Diaspora representatives in the public administration system, and we think that these restrictions, especially today, are not in the context of our pan-national agenda. Therefore, we will carry out some work on this path”, he said.

He also commented on the recent criticisms regarding replacing the parliamentary system with the presidential one and stated: “I don’t think that we face such a necessity now because it’s even not a year that the parliamentary system operates in the country. We need to understand what this system really is and then to draw conclusions. Constitution is a living organism, it can change, but now I wouldn’t like to make any predicting statement. But my personal opinion is that we don’t have a need to change the governance system, as long as we do not have concrete facts proving its necessity”.

Pashinyan said at this stage they should concentrate on the idea of economic revolution in Armenia.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

Pashinyan is convinced Armenia irreversibly will be democratic and technological country  

14:24,

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. Over the past 10 months the amount of social benefits and pensions of nearly 85.000 people, as well as the salaries of 200.000 people have increased in Armenia. 100% growth of mortgage lending has been registered in the country, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told reporters during a press conference, reports Armenpress.  

“Whether this is an indicator of improvement of the people’s social condition or not? In January 2019 the gross trade recorded 19% growth in the country. Whether this speaks about the improvement or not? An important change has taken place in Armenia. Previously there was elite who distributed rice, potato to the people, who told the people – I will rob you and will give you something, who exerted pressure on the people via police so that they will avoid going out. But our policy is the following: we should create opportunities for the people to work and create. We say we will not rob you and will create an opportunity for you so that you will be able to improve your social conditions with your job, because work is the best way to improve the social situation”, the PM said, stating that working person was not beneficial for the previous political elite, because that person is politically independent.

Pashinyan said the Armenian government is implementing numerous programs to improve the people’s social condition. He said more than 200.000 citizens got an access to free healthcare services.

“I have no doubt that the economic revolution will succeed in Armenia. I have no doubt that the content remains of the old system have no prospect. Armenia irreversibly will be democratic country, a country of work and technologies”, the PM said.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

PM highlights difference between saboteur and accidental trespasser in exchanging prisoners kept in Armenia, Azerbaijan

14:29,

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is ready to exchange Azerbaijanis who appeared in its territory with Armenians who appeared in Azerbaijani territory, however this swap cannot happen in case of the people who have trespassed from Azerbaijan committed murders, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a news conference when asked about the likelihood of an exchange at the “all for all principle”.

“This is constantly in the dimension of our discussions. In the past there was a practice when both Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh were bound to return people who were lost and trespassed the border within a week. And this practice has always been carried out. It wasn’t done when the infamous case took place when armed Azerbaijanis entered our territory and committed murders,” Pashinyan said. He stressed that convicted murderers cannot simply be exchanged with lost accidental trespassers.

“We are ready to exchange people who got lost with people who got lost. Now we have a lost citizen there, who they claim to be a saboteur, who got sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. Now, a citizen has trespassed from their side, an investigation will determine whether he is a saboteur or a lost citizen. We are ready to consider exchange for those whose actions did not lead to anyone getting killed or hurt,” the PM said.

“If we are exchanging someone we must take into account the opinion of the family of the victim that he killed”.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Economic revolution in Armenia will triumph, assures Pashinyan

14:47,

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has presented how citizens can have participation in the economic revolution and the government’s steps aimed for ensuring this participation.

Asked at a press conference on how citizens can participate in the economic revolution, the PM noted that the citizens should do this with their economic activity.

“Today, we are doing everything for loan interest rates to drop and loans to become more accessible for citizens. We are also encouraging people, and must encourage, for them to try and organize economic activity for themselves. I saw numerous uncultivated lands in the village of Ranchpar. Our objective is to make the cultivation of these lands profitable for people, and then to have the chance to sell their harvest at worthy and profitable prices to companies. We will also create opportunities for people to undergo specialized training. Today there are 3-4 thousand vacancies in Armenia’s IT sector, we must help people so that those who are able get trained and fill these vacancies, because salaries in this sector are very high,” Pashinyan said.

He also mentioned that the planned amendments in the Tax Code will define a threshold for micro-businesses, by which certain businesses with up to 24 million drams in annual turnover will be exempt of taxes.

“One of our main topics of discussions with the EU is for loan resources to be brought to Armenia especially for micro-businesses, that will be affordable, so that people will be able to take loans and invest it in the business. We are exempting individual cab drivers from taxes, which means that their monthly revenue will increase by 12 thousand drams from that moment. We are willing to change the social benefits system in a way that even if the given individual is employed they won’t be reprieved from benefits. Meaning, we should encourage the work of these people,” he said.

The government is also creating conditions for bootleggers to enter the legal arena and have the chance of selling and exporting alcoholic drinks of their production.

The PM said the government is maximally facilitating regulations that are an obstacle for businesses.

Pashinyan expressed certainty that the economic revolution in Armenia will triumph. According to him, citizens will participate in it the way they participated in the political revolution.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan