Ruling party MP asks Pashinyan whether he has program on lifting Armenia’s blockade by Turkey and Azerbaijan
Ruling Republican Party’s lawmaker Gagik Minasyan asked PM candidate Nikol Pashinyan whether he has a new set of tools which will allow to eliminate Armenia’s blockade and ensure the country’s more dynamic progresss. At the same time Minasyan stated that from the first days of the Artsakh liberation war the key obstacle to Armenia’s economic and not only economic development is the blockade by Turkey and Azerbaijan.
“In this case as well I think that we should be guided not by a desirable thinking, but must take into consideration the realities. Unfortunately, the ongoing processes in our neighbor countries do not provide base for optimism that we can eliminate that blockade in the near future”, Nikol Pashinyan said, adding that the talk concerns to both Azerbaijan and Turkey where the political processes as well are not developing by a positive direction.
Therefore Pashinyan said it’s necessary to record the reality and in the conditions of that reality make Armenia’s economy more effective and more adaptable to our conditions. “What I mean, in particular, the development of information technologies and I hope the positive energy created in Armenia will really allow to create a competitive field which will provide an opportunity for major investments, to ensure an inflow by at least Armenian circles”, he said, adding that similar processes are already being noticed. Pashinyan said that the passability and usability of the existing communications must be guaranteed, and the business and competition will solve these issues.
Gagik Minasyan asked: “Can I state you don’t have any program on lifting the blockade? What you said are other opportunities for economic development that are being implemented”.
In response Nikol Pashinyan said: “Look what is the vision about. Armenia has always said that it is ready to open the border with Turkey without preconditions. Turkey says the border will not open as long as the Karabakh conflict is not solved. Azerbaijan says Karabakh is mine, including also Yerevan. And I say that we need to take into account this reality and not to express hope that a month later something will change in Turkey or Azerbaijan, but we need to consider the situation that we have a border and should maximally use these two borders”. He clarified that in his remarks the new component is the factor of effective use.
“The new component in fact is the introduction of free economy, the opportunity, availability of investments, and if this political conditions are ensured the economy will solve the problems on this path within the existing political and geopolitical opportunities”, the PM candidate said, adding that regardless of the roads being closed, there are subjects that ensure export with great volumes and receive profit with great volumes.
Nikol Pashinyan said according to him the restrictions on imports and exports should be eliminated. And this competition must also work in the field of cargo transportations so that there will be an alternative in terms of services.
