Azat Arshakyan: Authorities had better apologize and go ahead (video)
The new minister of defense was to earn a good name for him by showing his positive sides after entering politics but he brought with him the so-called 1000 dram bill which immediately undermined his image, the deputy chair of the Free Democrats Party said on November 23. Anush Sedrakyan thinks that the bill also undermines people’s faith in the army. “There are very few values in Armenia, people do not trust each other, but they believe in our soldiers. Placing that faith in such an explosive situation is wrong and deplorable,” she said. Anush Sedrakyan thinks the authorities were to have examined how our soldiers happened to be fighting with old weapons. Azat Arshakyan, a former deputy of Armenia's Supreme Council, proposes to collect that money from people who have luxury homes and mansions, rather than from doctors, teachers and military. “One cannot put striking difference between the poor, the middle class and oligarchs.” “Should the payment become voluntary now, it might become mandatory after the elections,” Anush Sedrakyan said advising people not to be surprised by the fact. “If introduced, the principle of voluntarism will be viewed as a step back by the authorities, but it's only temporary. Anyway, they will do it to avoid possible disturbances during at the pre-election period as was the case with the introduction of mandatory funded pension system in Armenia,” she said. Mr. Arshakyan added that it would be much better for the authorities to give up the idea, apologize and go ahead.
