There are social issues, but we do not have a social crisis. Pashinyan

The pandemic has caused significant social and economic damage, but it is important to assess the extent of the damage. This was stated by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a government meeting.

“The indicators of economic decline are published and well-known. Here, we always have a problem with having accurate indicators of what the social situation is in the country and how much the social situation has worsened. I believe that data on trade turnover through cash registers can testify to this, as it pertains to the commerce done by people themselves. In August 2020, compared to August 2019, cash register turnover decreased by only 2.5%. Moreover, we have only recently reached such a low figure. There are social issues, but they also existed in 2019. However, we do not have a social crisis,” he said.

“An argument could be made here that, look, the turnover in trade has decreased by 2.5%. But consider, for example, there are people who were not in Armenia last year and had gone abroad for work. On the other hand, tourists, who obviously spend much more when in Armenia than locals, are not here at all in any case.”