Arsen Torosyan Was Right, Georgians Were Wrong: 'Zhoghovurd'

The newspaper 'Zhoghovurd' reports: 'About a year ago, a major scandal erupted in Armenian-Georgian relations. Armenia's then-Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan questioned the effectiveness of the anti-coronavirus policies being implemented by the Georgian government, stating that he did not believe the figures reported by the Georgian authorities regarding the number of infections, suggesting that these numbers were significantly understated.

Torosyan's statement elicited strong reactions from several high-ranking officials in Georgia, with some in the public sphere interpreting the minister's comments as professional jealousy directed at the healthcare system of the neighboring country. As you may recall, shortly after this scandal, the epidemic in Georgia escalated to alarming levels, forcing the government to close the country down. These restrictions are still in place today in Georgia, where the number of infections has exceeded 300,000, and registered deaths have surpassed 4,000.

In Armenia, the numbers for COVID-19 infections and deaths have not differed significantly, except for the fact that during this period, Armenia went through a war, and the restrictions were not as stringent.

Since Arsen Torosyan's comments were widely reported and discussed, there is now a discernible reversal, where some segments of the public in Georgia are accusing their leaders of concealing the truth at the time. There are voices suggesting that Armenians were indeed right and honest with their citizens, speculating that by April-May of last year, the number of infections in Georgia was already substantial, but this information was either not disclosed or people were not being tested.

It is beyond doubt that Arsen Torosyan should not have made such a statement; criticizing another country, to put it mildly, could not have contributed to the development of bilateral relations. However, it turns out that Torosyan was right, and the Georgians were wrong.'

For more detailed information, refer to today's edition of the newspaper.