“We must discuss this and be honest with our society. Today, when we look at what is happening in Artsakh, it seems unacceptable. A few people can somehow bring goods here by agreement with the Russian peacekeepers. This inflation is not related to the increase in general prices.
Still, we have a limit,” during the discussion of the evaluation report on “Loss of the Artsakh economy due to the blockade,” said Ruben Vardanyan, the former Minister of State of Artsakh, answering Aravot.am’s question: Inflation rates are increasing in Artsakh, how is it possible to curb inflation, with what tools, with what methods?
According to Ruben Vardanyan’s observation, Artsakh is under siege. If three cars came a day in December at best, now the Russian peacekeepers can bring up to 16 vehicles and provide some food. “On the other hand, a few people earn much money and can use it to their advantage. These results in dozens of people making a small amount of money, around a few hundred people getting paid and working in the business, and a thousand people buying and bringing the product.
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But look, what’s happening is not ensuring everyone receives the same product. First of all, we had to collect the food that we had to provide for people, all equally, for 120 thousand of people. From that, we introduced coupons in the second half of January because we had to be sure that with coupons, people could buy their products, not stand in line, and stay in business. In the beginning, when the products were sold directly in stores, people had to go out of business because when the product came out, it was not clear, and this caused a social crisis.
Now we have a situation where people bring watermelons to Artsakh or bring pineapples; I want to say shame on those people. It is unacceptable to me that people get pomelos, pineapples, or other things to make money for themselves, not to provide for people to receive typical food. Second, unfortunately, coupons do not work, and people cannot buy goods with these coupons because they bring a product that is sold at a higher price than what they should provide with the coupon.
Thirdly, the expiration date of coupons has now been extended. There is a situation where a person who spent his coupon now cannot get a new coupon, and an impossible situation has been created. So, unfortunately, inflation is the last point. That’s why you have to set it right from the beginning: who buys that product, at what prices, how transparent it is, and how those tenders are organized because, in the end, a tiny number of cars can come and go to Artsakh and should to see in whose hands is the opportunity to provide food. Mechanisms of transparent justice had to be created; there was much work to be done, and it was not like everything was ideal in our time. We need to catch up again. Everywhere, those who have good connections with high government officials make money in their pockets by using this situation and taking their money from ordinary people. I consider that unacceptable. For this reason, price increases are unfortunately caused by restrictions for the benefit of a few people.”
According to Ruben Vardanyan, gathering and becoming a fist is necessary.
“During the blockade, market laws do not work; we have no opportunity to ensure competition. That is where the role of the state becomes important.” According to Ruben Vardanyan, they should decide together on the game rules and agree on the price of the product in Armenia and how much money can be made. The private person should be told that you cannot put more money in your pocket because you managed to do it at the expense of your connections, to the detriment of other Artsakh citizens.
Hearing this, Vardan Aramyan, an international consultant on public finance management whose professional group of economists prepared the report on Artsakh, responded. “What Mr. Vardanyan said is a failure of the state system if there is no price control in such a crisis. It has tools – what does the State Competition Protection Committee do? And secondly, you know what it means to me, it is insolence if businessmen do such things in such a situation. It is nothing, but when people go during an earthquake, instead of helping, they take the gold from the corpses; it is the same. This is a crisis for the society to act with a united front.”
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
