YEREVAN (A.W.)—The newly appointed Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan vowed to implement what he called “systemic changes” in order to improve the economic situation in the country.
“We have to understand that there is no magic wand, and I can say at this point that if we want to achieve changes in our economy we have to make systemic changes,” he said during the government’s question-and-answer session in the parliament on Sept. 14, adding, “To be honest, the real state of our economy is very grave, extremely grave.”
RFE/RL’s Armenian service Azatutyun.am reported that Karapetyan told lawmakers that his government’s key economic priority will be to put in place “maximally favorable conditions for those who create added value.”
“As for what steps will be taken, we will present them to you,” added Karapetyan.
The new prime minister also vowed to combat tax evasion, something that he believes is vital for economic development.
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Karapetyan also argued that monopolies are not always a bad thing and that in a small country like Armenia, some companies can gain dominant positions in the market if they outperform their competitors. However, he stressed that he is against monopolies formed as a result of “administrative resources.”
It is likely that Karapetyan will form his new government in the coming days or weeks, after which they will submit their policy program to the National Assembly. Azatutyun.am reported that Karapetian shed no light on the likely composition of the new government, saying only that he will pick “competent individuals.”