“We must have that money in order for our economy to develop and to direct the fruits of the development to raise pensions. We will do it by all means, dear Karen, and I do not see any big problem here, yet I know that today the 80 percent of the country’s population complains about that decision. We, sorry for my word, to say in a homeland defender’s language, are not idiots to spend resources on that bad thing. We spend political resources. People are dissatisfied with us, we do not have any political interest in that and do not obtain any resource. We erode resources for the time that will come in 20 years, for our children,” said the President of the Republic of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, in particular, at Congress of Voluntary Homeland Defenders Union (VHD) held on Saturday, referring to introduction of mandatory funded pension systems. In response to the question of Aravot.am of whether the President’s speech did not sound as a judgment, whether it was not a step to direct Constitutional Court in his final decision, RPA MA responded, “The president was asked a question. What was he supposed to do? To say, I am not responding?” Later, he actually added, “However, it was said that some comments and provisions, perhaps, need editing. What drawbacks the President saw, he touched upon. Anyway, he said that he will accept the idea, and it should be definitely implemented.”
According to the MP, the President could not otherwise be expressed, as it would turn out that he was unaware of, does not know that with or without his consent, his party, his party MPs have decided to accept it. “So, it’s a matter of interpretation. Personally, I think that there is a need for public debate on the issue, the public is concerned, and the President should definitely have said his views.” To the question of whether, in your opinion, the emotions calm down, or be accelerate after the President’s speech, Mkrtich Minasyan said, “A part who are guided by emotions, will begin thinking, and the part who execute orders, will continue to perform their job. I think it will become mild.” Mkrtich Minasyan does not know the names of “executing orders” and the commanders. “I am giving a political assessment, I am not involved in investigative work. Political technologies, in certain cases, are carried out by political orders.” Alternative PAP MP Levon Khachatryan, as opposed to the ruling party MP, is not so much impressed by the President’s speech. PAP, by the way, is against the mandatory enforcement of the system. Recalling the CoC President’s statements made not long ago, some observations of the Human Rights Defender, other episodes of our reality, the MP raises a question, “If I give money to the government, from whom shall I receive it? I do not trust. How can one give money to a government that is not trusted? You do not trust, since the CoC and Human Rights Defender do not believe and trust. How can one give?” To the Republican MP’s conviction that after the President’s speech, the wave of complaints will calm down, the PAP MP opposes, “Unless I understand where the budget was spent, when the court will be a court, when HRD and the CoC will change their opinion… then I can believe or not believe.”
Nelly Grigoryan
