The "Fact" daily writes:
The state of Armenia's economy remains complicated, despite the fact that the authorities are regularly trying to provide the public, both serious positive changes and changes are noticeable.
Of course, it is not fully denied that there are little positive changes, but first of all, they do not provide grounds for optimism, the second, the authorities are trying to make such a misleading Paj. , Switzerland has become.
Let's take the picture of even economic growth. If we follow the statistics, for three years in a row, Armenia is growing relatively high economic growth, but the ordinary citizen does not feel the consequences of that growth on his skin.
In other words, this economic growth does not have a real effect on the welfare of the population, just the profit of several large businesses has greatly increased.
Meanwhile, in 2019, Nikol Pashinyan promised that economic growth would increase citizens. Of course, not, not only, only the people, their relatives and the small businessmen. And the end ...
On the other hand, the authorities are always inclined to feed the public with beautiful numbers than to point out the content changes. Pashinyan has always been a leader in feeding the public in numbers and manipules.
But it seems that the Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan has appeared "to do" his leader, who has recently begun to boast of some numbers, showing them unprecedented.
For example, after the primitive manipules related to public debt, he began to emphasize economic growth, presenting that in 2024 we had 5.9 percent of the threshold of 10 trillion drams, and the Armenian economy did not grow during 20132017.
First, let's start with the fact that in 2013-2017 it was a completely different situation than it is now. Second, in fact, GDP growth was, even if yes, small. And it is absolutely incomprehensible by the economy responsible for such unequivocal assessments.
Finally, the comparison of this order is inappropriate. Eventually, during the current government, we also had a major economic decline, which, by the way, clearly visible from the charts presented by the same minister.
Look, the economic year of 2020 was closed with a 7.5% economic decline, and in 2022 the acceleration of economic growth was mainly due to external factors, as economic growth is not capitalized.
During the last three years, if there were no re-expulsion from Armenia, we would have a very gloomy picture. Despite our economy, external factors are gradually changing, negatively affecting economic dynamics.
In other words, the exaggerating balloon will simply explode at a certain point. And we already see the trends of it.
First of all, the tendency to reduce economic growth is greatly obvious. In 2022, we had a 12.6% economic growth in 2023 - 8.3%, and in 2024, the growth rate reached only 5.9%, and this was the case that it would be at least possible to close the economic year. 7% increase.
But this is still aside, at least there has been a growth, although economic growth was less than expected annually. But we have had a rather worrying situation in the last quarter of the past year.
And in November we had the lowest economic growth rate - 1.2%. Economists believe that the Armenian economy returns to its "normal condition".
Even the authorities understand that the decrease in economic growth is another reality, that's why the forecast of this year's economic growth was lowered from 7% last year.
But even the 5% economic growth rate will be a respectable number, because if the reproduction of geopolitical factors is closed, the economy may be in a very difficult situation, because some areas of the economy have already been reconciled.
On the other hand, since the rise of the previous three years has not been directed to establish a real result in the economy, we cannot even have an inertia of economic growth.
And before the gloomy picture becomes clear, the public debt is growing in astronomical numbers.
For example, only last year it increased by about $ 1 billion. The question arises, if we have increased 5.9% economic growth in the economy, then why are we debt so much?
In fact, the new debts aims to fill the bells of budget and implement social programs. And in this case, there could be no question of increasing pensions, albeit in a minimal extent.
But even in such conditions, the Minister of Economy is proud that in 2024 the average monthly salary in Armenia amounted to more than 287 thousand drams. It is noted that this figure was 172700 drams in 2018.
It should be noted that in reality the salaries of many employees have not increased. What "miserable" salary received in 2018 and received the same salary today.
For example, it refers to the predominant majority of teachers. There are just dozens of teachers who have passed the certification, and their salary has risen.
If there is an increase in salaries in some areas, its effect is zero if we take into account the inflation and the level of rise in prices. Especially since the recent escalation of the tax burden, the goods and services are twice as fast as the income of people grow.
In that case, how do the authorities have received numbers on a sharp increase in the average salary? Very simple. The salaries of the high state pasions and the inciuses in various state circles have risen sharply.
And that's not enough, they receive high prices. In other words, the quality of the lives of the authorities has risen sharply, and they are trying to measure their arshin, showing that the same thing happens to the people.
And the citizens are barely caused by the end in 2018, as well as now. Nothing has changed in their lives. No, apologizes, changed, more poor, plus many losses and large security issues that have brought these authorities ...
Arthur Karapetyan
