Updates
Statements and messages of the President of RA
20
03, 2009
Opening remarks by President Serzh Sargsyan at the thematic debate on the “Global financial and economic crisis and Armenia” conducted with the participation of the Heads of the Armenian political parties
This is our second meeting in this format. As you remember, the main topic of the first meeting was the NK peace process. All political forces of Armenia, which had something to say, got the opportunity to do so and all those who had questions, asked them. We, in our turn tried to answer those questions, and tried to make visible the path we had taken for our progression. In my opinion, it was a successful endeavor.
Today, the global economic and financial crisis is in the center of the world’s attention since all countries are experiencing its repercussions to this or that extent. Armenia, or our economy, is not an isolated island and we too suffer the consequences of the crisis. The political parties voice numerous opinions regarding the issue, possible approaches are being introduced publicly, and this is a good opportunity to bring them together, to discuss them, and to exchange views.
It was necessary to organize this meeting, and I believe each of you have something to say. Irrespective of our will, we are entering a stage of global and regional changes, when everybody’s approach and opinion should be reckoned with and if possible developed into a common approach and a common view.
The global crisis has forced the developed countries to introduce changes which in the past would be deemed simply unacceptable. Unfortunately, a universal recipe has not been invented yet. Evidently, in this non-standard situation, the Government of Armenia was compelled to undertake non-standard measures. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet constantly inform the public on these measures. Later, we will listen to the Prime Minister, but now I would like to talk briefly about the role of political parties and the public at large. If necessary, I can once again repeat what should be understood without explanation: the crisis is our common problem not only the Government’s. We, the people of Armenia, are not to blame for the crisis; this is not an Armenian issue. At the same time, I believe that the Government and the authorities have no right to hide behind the crisis and blame their own mistakes, their own blunders on the crisis alone. The fact is that if we do not resist the crisis together, all of us will suffer, the entire society. To leave the Government face to face with this peril is at least not wise. I would like to repeat: there are no universal solutions, may be this is one of those rare occasions when it is necessary to invent a bicycle.
Our people have a tremendous ability to find unorthodox solutions in unorthodox situations. It has been proved more than once in the course of our history. Now is the time to fully realize the creative potential of our people. In reality, in many cases hardship and success are intertwined and it is obvious that to achieve great success it is necessary to overcome hardships, and there are many cases when under such circumstances success is much bigger than expected. Just one example: our Artsakh liberation war, our entire struggle for freedom.
Currently, the Armenian Government is engaged in active discussions with a large number of experts, it also continuously cooperates with the leading specialists of the world financial institutions, and meticulously analyzes the measures undertaken by other countries, as well as the proposals of our own independent experts made publicly and directly. This is, undoubtedly, the right path. However, I believe that at this stage this kind of consultations with the political parties is necessary. Let me explain why.
The way the crisis will evolve in our country greatly depends also on the public perception of the crisis and the public attitude. The behavior of each of our citizens and the behavior of our society as a whole will determine the success of the measures to be taken to mitigate the negative developments. I am confident that the problem belongs mostly to the realm of perception, public perception. You may spend tens of billions of dollars and still to no avail if the society is overwhelmed with panic and uncertainty toward the future. I believe that everyone who is concerned with the future of our country at this juncture is willing to become a promoter of responsible actions and rational behavior. I trust that our political parties in particular possess a great potential and possibilities to act in this way. That’s the reason I attach importance to this meeting. Certainly, I don’t mean the people and the parties who are led by the principle “the worse the better.”
Everyone is talking about the global crisis, offering advice, and proposing arrangements starting from planning personal and family budget and up to the drawing the state budget. However, there is a misunderstanding I would like to talk about. The misunderstanding lies in the misperception that this crisis is exclusively of financial and economic nature, with the subsequent social repercussions. The global crisis is a grave challenge for the political realm, to the system of values and morals. Individual’s behavior in time of crisis reveals his or her merits, morality, and the degree of readiness to accept political responsibility. The easiest, of course, the safest thing to do is just to offer criticism.
Thanks God, our society has been able to act wisely in this crisis, without panicking unduly which would have further complicated the things. Farmers are trying to get seeds with whatever resources they have, to sow and harvest. Businessmen have been actively seeking new ideas and initiatives – and this is, of course, praiseworthy. Political establishment loves to give advice – “you do this and you do that”, and so on. Are we - political parties – ready to act in step with the reality? Are we ready to be modest, wise and most importantly not to succumb to panic and not to create panic?
Specialists suggest that in time of crisis it is more beneficial to work for smaller wages and lower profits rather than not to work in the anticipation of high wages and larger profit, i.e. not to work at all. I am asking you: Are we – the Armenian political parties – ready to work in politics without anticipating political dividends? These are times when reaping political gains, taking provocative and scheming actions means to add to the crisis rather than to counter its consequences. Can we find solutions for the problems unknown before? Today, we will at least try. I am confident that our Government is willing to listen to the proposals which offer reasonable solutions, and it goes not only for the today’s discussion. We will ask the Prime Minister to comment on the observations of all the Heads of political parties. We will also try to outline a permanent format for the exchange of new ideas.
Today, the global economic and financial crisis is in the center of the world’s attention since all countries are experiencing its repercussions to this or that extent. Armenia, or our economy, is not an isolated island and we too suffer the consequences of the crisis. The political parties voice numerous opinions regarding the issue, possible approaches are being introduced publicly, and this is a good opportunity to bring them together, to discuss them, and to exchange views.
It was necessary to organize this meeting, and I believe each of you have something to say. Irrespective of our will, we are entering a stage of global and regional changes, when everybody’s approach and opinion should be reckoned with and if possible developed into a common approach and a common view.
The global crisis has forced the developed countries to introduce changes which in the past would be deemed simply unacceptable. Unfortunately, a universal recipe has not been invented yet. Evidently, in this non-standard situation, the Government of Armenia was compelled to undertake non-standard measures. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet constantly inform the public on these measures. Later, we will listen to the Prime Minister, but now I would like to talk briefly about the role of political parties and the public at large. If necessary, I can once again repeat what should be understood without explanation: the crisis is our common problem not only the Government’s. We, the people of Armenia, are not to blame for the crisis; this is not an Armenian issue. At the same time, I believe that the Government and the authorities have no right to hide behind the crisis and blame their own mistakes, their own blunders on the crisis alone. The fact is that if we do not resist the crisis together, all of us will suffer, the entire society. To leave the Government face to face with this peril is at least not wise. I would like to repeat: there are no universal solutions, may be this is one of those rare occasions when it is necessary to invent a bicycle.
Our people have a tremendous ability to find unorthodox solutions in unorthodox situations. It has been proved more than once in the course of our history. Now is the time to fully realize the creative potential of our people. In reality, in many cases hardship and success are intertwined and it is obvious that to achieve great success it is necessary to overcome hardships, and there are many cases when under such circumstances success is much bigger than expected. Just one example: our Artsakh liberation war, our entire struggle for freedom.
Currently, the Armenian Government is engaged in active discussions with a large number of experts, it also continuously cooperates with the leading specialists of the world financial institutions, and meticulously analyzes the measures undertaken by other countries, as well as the proposals of our own independent experts made publicly and directly. This is, undoubtedly, the right path. However, I believe that at this stage this kind of consultations with the political parties is necessary. Let me explain why.
The way the crisis will evolve in our country greatly depends also on the public perception of the crisis and the public attitude. The behavior of each of our citizens and the behavior of our society as a whole will determine the success of the measures to be taken to mitigate the negative developments. I am confident that the problem belongs mostly to the realm of perception, public perception. You may spend tens of billions of dollars and still to no avail if the society is overwhelmed with panic and uncertainty toward the future. I believe that everyone who is concerned with the future of our country at this juncture is willing to become a promoter of responsible actions and rational behavior. I trust that our political parties in particular possess a great potential and possibilities to act in this way. That’s the reason I attach importance to this meeting. Certainly, I don’t mean the people and the parties who are led by the principle “the worse the better.”
Everyone is talking about the global crisis, offering advice, and proposing arrangements starting from planning personal and family budget and up to the drawing the state budget. However, there is a misunderstanding I would like to talk about. The misunderstanding lies in the misperception that this crisis is exclusively of financial and economic nature, with the subsequent social repercussions. The global crisis is a grave challenge for the political realm, to the system of values and morals. Individual’s behavior in time of crisis reveals his or her merits, morality, and the degree of readiness to accept political responsibility. The easiest, of course, the safest thing to do is just to offer criticism.
Thanks God, our society has been able to act wisely in this crisis, without panicking unduly which would have further complicated the things. Farmers are trying to get seeds with whatever resources they have, to sow and harvest. Businessmen have been actively seeking new ideas and initiatives – and this is, of course, praiseworthy. Political establishment loves to give advice – “you do this and you do that”, and so on. Are we - political parties – ready to act in step with the reality? Are we ready to be modest, wise and most importantly not to succumb to panic and not to create panic?
Specialists suggest that in time of crisis it is more beneficial to work for smaller wages and lower profits rather than not to work in the anticipation of high wages and larger profit, i.e. not to work at all. I am asking you: Are we – the Armenian political parties – ready to work in politics without anticipating political dividends? These are times when reaping political gains, taking provocative and scheming actions means to add to the crisis rather than to counter its consequences. Can we find solutions for the problems unknown before? Today, we will at least try. I am confident that our Government is willing to listen to the proposals which offer reasonable solutions, and it goes not only for the today’s discussion. We will ask the Prime Minister to comment on the observations of all the Heads of political parties. We will also try to outline a permanent format for the exchange of new ideas.