“Armenian businessmen are vicious animals”
Economist Vahagn Khachatryan advises Executive Director of the Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen Gagik Makaryan to become acquainted with the statistics before making announcements.
Mr. Makaryan today announced that sugar prices in Armenia had to increase in 2010, but that didn't take place due to importers' "good will".
"Mr. Makaryan forgets that in the period that he mentioned, the customs clearance fee for a kilogram of sugar was 31 cents. Sugar importers weren't generous toward citizens. They simply took money out of pockets. If sugar was imported for 31 cents and if it cost 305 drams, they received super profits and that has nothing to do with "good will".
Vahagn Khachatryan deemed it necessary to remind that "good will" is never shown in business, much less in Armenia.
"Our so-called businessmen in Armenia are vicious animals that only think about taking a lot of money from people."
Taking into consideration the fact that 99% of the sugar market in Armenia is under the control of Samvel Alexanyan, Mr. Khachatryan said: "It would be better if Gagik Makaryan spoke about the state of the oligarchic monopoly in Armenia's economy. They didn't show that "good will" toward citizens, but importers and in this case it was Samvel Karapetyan. If Mr. Makaryan was a sugar importer and he wasn't sponsored by the government, the customs clearance fee for sugar wouldn't be 31 cents, but 131 cents."
