Additional serious risks for Armenia unacceptable: Gagik Tsarukyan on EAEU report

Gagik Tsarukyan, leader of the Prosperous Armenia party, has sent a message from the Yerevan-Kentron penitentiary institution.

“I am sure that the EAEU report published a few days ago on what threatens Armenia’s economy if our country leaves the EAEU or suspends its membership has raised serious questions and concerns for many. I have tried to assess the real risks from every possible angle. First of all, we need to see the people behind all these figures. As someone who has worked in real business and production, I see these risks above all more clearly.

We must understand that there are people behind dry economic reports. All these ‘percentages’ of decline and price increases point to the danger of thousands of businesses closing and going bankrupt, of life getting worse for tens of thousands of families and hundreds of thousands of people, and of a sharp drop in living standards. Behind these figures lie the fates of thousands of people. What worries me is not only the figures, but also the possible sharp deterioration in the quality of life of ordinary, real people – our citizens.

Another important point is that such an analysis should have been carried out first and foremost in Armenia itself, rather than others doing it for us. This concerns our country, our economy and the lives of our citizens. Doing it ourselves would have shown our seriousness at home and our sense of responsibility.

A year before the elections, I set the task of bringing together industry specialists and competent people to prepare such scenarios and analyses. Documents like these should, first and foremost, be developed in Armenia, so that we do not keep deceiving ourselves with pretty lies and fairy tales. We must understand that our lives are at stake. And if we had done this work ourselves, we would be able to view what others are doing very calmly.

Finally, the third aspect, which I consider very important, is opportunity. These figures have another side: broad potential for work and development. Why not take advantage of it without creating problems for ourselves in the EAEU? On the contrary, by developing within the EAEU and gaining new opportunities, let us try to strengthen our economy through additional markets and investment from other regions. We should not put existing opportunities at risk; we should use them for development, expansion and greater prosperity for our people.

Economic shocks have begun around the world before our eyes. In my assessment, they will continue, because their causes run deep. Under these circumstances, additional major risks for small Armenia are simply unacceptable. Right now we must take very calm and measured steps, not destroy what we have, but build on it and seize the opportunities a changing world offers,” Tsarukyan’s message reads.