“Having a lot of malls doesn’t give anything to our country’s GDP” (video)
Armenian National Congress (HAK) faction member, economist Hrant Bagratyan today attended the opening ceremony of “Rossia Mall”. In the interview with “A1+” without underestimating the opening and prospects of this new building, he noted, “Having a lot of malls doesn’t give anything to our country’s GDP; very often small business is replaced with big one. Of course it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t have malls.” Touching upon the fact of hacker attack on our bank system, Mr Bagratyan noted, “The stability of our bank system is our poverty; if we are poor, it is stable, if we want to become rich, it will display elements of instability. You know that I hate our bank management system, so you could refrain from asking that question; the answer is clear.” He is also against the union of banks, “By uniting the banks we enlarge the bank risk. It is a wrong policy.” While speaking about the draft Electoral Code, Hrant Bagratyan highlighted that he hasn’t read the final text, “We haven’t been given; we have been given explanations, according to which, though, the Constitution tells about the proportional electoral system, we have extension of majoritarian voting system, it means that if in the past 40 out of 131 lawmakers were majoritarian, at present- about the half.” To the remark that the draft Electoral Code was first published in English on the website of Venice Commission and only after that the RA political forces were informed about it, Hrant Bagratyan replied sharply, “I hate Venice Commission, international financial institutions, the EAEU etc. All those are institutions, which are proud of pleasure that something bad happens in the RA.” One of the problems with the draft Electoral Code is the voters’ lists, “Nothing will be corrected here; there are more than 700 thousand passports, which owners will not participate in voting. I am deeply disappointed. I feel disappointed, when the CC President praises it, as his relatives will be given positions- one brother- deputy minister, his nephew- deputy minister, his sister –deputy minister. I feel disappointed when people like Khosrov Harutyunyan praise this Constitution. We have put our and your life at serious risk. Living in such a fake atmosphere, seeing no progress in the country- one day it will be interrupted, will be interrupted with the loss of state.”
