Eduard Sharmazanov: Like external factors, corruption is the reason of economic problems in Armenia

 Corruption is one of the reasons of the economic setback in Armenia, Vice Speaker of Armenian Parliament Eduard Sharmazanov said at today's press conference in Yerevan, when replying to ArmInfo's question.   

He said that were it not for Serzh Sargsyan and the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), the country would face a more explosive situation. "Due to the wise foreign policy of the president, we avoided the scenarios that happened in many countries. Just look at what is going on in the world, in Ukraine and in the Middle East," he said. At the moment, the number one task in the world and in Armenia is to resist the challenges and the country is coping with that task due to the competent policy of the ruling regime. "I also want my granny's pension to rise 20-fold, my mom's salary to grow 50-fold and my neighbor's wage to be twice as much as my salary. But these are only wishes. We should be realists," he said. 

When replying to an ArmInfo correspondent's remark that expert organizations and ambassadors think monopolies and corruption hinder the economy development, Sharmazanov said, "I share the opinion that both external factors and corruption are the reasons of economic problems in the country. I am not one of the persons saying that corruption is not a problem. It is a negative phenomenon, which should be eradicated. If we did not want to combat corruption, we would not set up the Anti-Corruption Council," he said. When asked why the Council has held only one meeting over the past 8 months, Sharmazanov said that it is not the number of meetings but the work done that matters. 

To note, on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index-2014 Armenia is ranked the 96th. Earlier in an interview with the RFE/RL Armenian Service (Azatutyun), US Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills said that corruption sets back economic growth, hurts human rights development, and undermines democracy. He thinks corruption "even undermines the national security" because outside forces can control the development of the country.  The question is whether the government has tools and a political will, but there is a civil society that can help the government to fight it, he said. "If we cannot address this large issue of corruption, which I understand is a serious issue - I know it affects so much of Armenia's daily life - it will affect a large part of our relationship in specific areas, for instance, investment.  I am very committed to growing the commercial ties, the investment ties between Armenia and the United States. I think that now is the time to focus on it. But to attract US investment, investors need to know the climate, where everyone is treated the same, where there is no unfair competition, where government services are equally available to everyone," Ambassador Mills said in his interview. "And if we don't see the Anti-Corruption Council address those things, I think it will hurt the opportunities for investment," he noted. "My message to anyone who has an issue of corruption is find the way to highlight it, don't be afraid to speak up, I do believe there are tools at your disposal within the government to address it, to find someone who will help you address it," he said.