Artur Khachatryan presented the viewpoint of the NA Armenia Faction regarding the 2024 RA state draft budget. Touching upon the Crossroads of Peace project, he noted that there is no calculation of economic expediency behind the project.
According to Artur Khachatryan, Armenia alliance has thoroughly studied the 2024 draft presented by the Government. “The proposed budget does not envisage adequate steps and measures to solve the problems facing the Republic of Armenia. First of all, it concerns the security challenges. Annexation of Nagorno-Karabakh, the ethnic cleansing of the population, 7% increase in the defense budget is not enough in the conditions of occupying the territory of about 250 square meters of the RA sovereign territory, especially considering the reduction of our military resources as a result of the 44-day war, the continuous arming of the enemy, the conduct of military exercises and the aggressive rhetoric,” the MP mentioned. According to him, the reduction of the financing of the Development of the Military Industrial Complex project by more than 1 billion drams compared to 2023 is also unacceptable.
Reference was also made to the Government’s reform programme. According to Artur Khachatryan, no significant reform is proposed. The MP informed that the Armenia Faction will vote against the 2024 state budget draft.
In his speech, the Head of the RA NA Civil Contract Faction Hayk Konjoryan referred to some political circumstances and talked about some observations of the opposition.
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According to the assessment of the Faction Head, the guarantee of the long-term well-being of the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people is the simultaneous existence of freedom and peace. Citing the history, he stated that in this area, on this piece of land, Armenia, the Armenian people have never had freedom and peace at the same time.
“We got freedom and we are going on the path of peace. As soon as we have those two, then the concept, the narrative, on which, unfortunately, the ideology of our opposition is built, will collapse” Hayk Konjoryan expressed such an opinion and spoke about the criticisms of the opposition regarding the Crossroads of Peace project. “For decades, political forces have sacrificed freedom to gain security and as a result have been deprived of both freedom and security. Freedom and peace: When we can combine these two, then we will be satisfied, we will consider that we are a sovereign state and we are the ones who shape the content of our destiny, our region, our geographical position and are not prisoners of our geography. It has been the narrative for a long time that we don’t have a sea, we have mountains, we have unfavorable neighbours, that’s why we are doomed to be rescued, and the saviors have always been ready to appear,” the leader of the faction emphasized. According to him, that concept and the savior narrative is collapsing.
According to Hayk Konjoryan, there is no economic development without economic freedoms and there are no economic freedoms without political freedoms. This is a cornerstone axiom. He informed that the draft budget expresses their political priorities, therefore the Civil Contract Faction is in favor of the document.
National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia
