Asatrian: Our problem is in political system, not in prime minister

Armenia’s problem is in the political system and the ruling political force, not in the prime minister, the ex-chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia Bagrat Asatrian said at a press conference today.

“Various developments took place in the economic and political life of our country. When this government adopted an ambitious program in 2009 promising 10% economic growth, a 15% decline was recorded. A European integration program was being developed for many years and then there was a U-turn,” Asatrian noted.

As regards Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan’s resignation yesterday, he said he is indifferent about the fact. Bagrat Asatrian also expressed a negative opinion of the fact that Tigran Sargsyan joined the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) after being appointed prime minister. In his words, in this case ‘there is no political force that holds him accountable for the ongoing processes’ because ‘HHK does not bear responsibility for anything’.

In his opinion, such an approach only leads to assessment of personalities as good or bad. “The country’s problem is not in the prime minister. This is the problem of the political system, of the ruling party,” Asatrian said.

According to the economist, in 2008 Armenian GDP made $11,916 billion, while in 2013 GDP amounted to $10,300 billion, declining by about 10%.

“We all grew poorer. In 2008 there were numerous problems in Armenia and none was solved. There are more problems in the country today and they are more serious than 5 years ago,” Asatrian said.