ArmInfo.The biggest achievement of the new government of Armenia after coming to power is that Armenia moved from an oligarchic economy to an inclusive economy, which gives everyone the opportunity to do business. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan stated this in an interview with the French edition of Nouvelle d'Armenie.
The head of government recalled that in the first quarter of 2019, Armenia recorded the largest economic growth among all European countries. "We have no reason to be proud of this achievement, since we started from a very low point. But this is a good and real indicator. Today, the Armenian economy is free. Some time ago, for production, import, export, it was necessary to obey the rules dictated by the oligarchs. But this time has passed, and obstacles have been removed. At present, everyone can make investments, work and realize their talent. There are no obstacles politically. On the other hand, of course, there are other problems: the search for sources of financing, high interest rates, inferior infrastructures, road construction, etc. This is the ecosystem that we must build. This is what we are trying to do, "he assured.
The Prime Minister emphasized that one of the directions of economic development is its diversification. As an example, he cited the mining industry, the dependence on which decreased markedly. "The only possible way to overcome the dependence of the Armenian economy on the mining industry is the development of technology and a processing economy," the head of government emphasized.
According to him, someday in Armenia a law will be passed banning the export of raw materials and minerals from Armenia. "But this will be possible only if large foundries, molybdenum processing factories operate in the country and a full cycle of the mining industry starts working. This is the path we intend and must go through," Pashinyan said.
It should be noted that according to the data of the National Statistical Committee, published on August 21, the GDP of Armenia in the second quarter of 2019 amounted to 6.5%, against the indicator registered in the first quarter of 7.2%.
In the second quarter, growth was recorded in industries, including energy, by 10%, trade and services - by 9%, and in construction - by 0.9%. At the same time, the agricultural sector registered a decline of 10.1%.
Meanwhile, a day earlier, Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan on his Facebook page said that the GDP growth of Armenia in the first half of 2019 compared to the same period in 2018 amounted to 6.8%.
According to the state budget, economic growth in Armenia in 2019 will amount to 4.9%, inflation - 2.7%. The Central Bank in June this year predicted the growth of the Armenian economy in 2019 at the level of 4.6-6.1%. In the state budget of Armenia for 2018, economic growth is in the amount of 4.5%, in fact, the increase was 5.2%.