The Prosperous Armenia Party Sees No Issue with Salary Increases

The Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) in the National Assembly sees no issues with the legality of the process regarding the increase in salaries for officials, saying the central issue is the secrecy surrounding this sensitive topic from the public. This viewpoint was expressed by party members during a parliamentary briefing.

"Everything has occurred in accordance with the law and legal regulations, as referenced by the Prime Minister. We are simply discussing the inaccessibility of this information to the public. I believe that after the revolution, society has earned the right to be informed about such important decisions. This was neither a military nor a security issue that could occur without public knowledge," stated Iveta Tonoyan.

In her opinion, if there had been no media coverage regarding the salary increases, the process would have remained secret. Tonoyan noted that only after this media coverage did the ministers reveal that they had been receiving 1.5 million drams for several months.

Another party member, Arman Abovyan, emphasized that it has been repeatedly stated that public sector employees' wages are insufficient. "However, the philosophy is as follows: if it is a very sensitive issue and the process is ongoing, then it should be completely transparent," concluded Abovyan.

Hetq.am had reported that the Prime Minister had secretly ordered salary increases for ministers, deputy ministers, and regional governors. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also addressed this topic during a Q&A session with government members in the parliament. He specifically mentioned that the process was not actually secret, as this issue had been publicly discussed during the budget discussions in the National Assembly in 2019. They had presented that the rewards fund would be set at 30 percent for all bodies. Additionally, the Prime Minister noted that as a result of this decision, some salaries increased while others decreased.