Pashinyan and Vahagn Khachatryan Meet Again

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has held a meeting with the President of the Republic, Vahagn Khachatryan. In his opening remarks, the President expressed gratitude for the meeting, stating, "First, thank you for the meeting. In fact, there are accumulating questions that need to be discussed separately. What do I want to start the conversation with? I am looking at what is happening in the world; you are also following it. There are different assessments, but one common assessment from everyone is that the world has not been this extremely tense since the end of World War II, and whether we want it or not, these issues will also affect us. In this regard, I wanted to say in your presence that I appreciate the work that the Government and you personally are doing; our diplomats are working on it as well. I understand how difficult it is to confront all the challenges we are facing today. These challenges are mainly related to our security.

You provided our society the opportunity, through journalists, during your press conference and your speech to the Government. I want to draw attention to one important point. The information you provide to an open society seems that society is not ready for it. What accounts for this approach to perception, its form, its interpretations? I think we are still in the old stereotypes of the Soviet Union, where how could the government or the authority be open to society? Back then, everything was closed; at best, we formed our opinions based on assumptions or tried to understand what was happening in the country. Now this style, which is a result of democracy, allows everyone to become involved in the events taking place in the state. However, it is hard to digest because when you start thinking in this direction, you are also subjected to a certain level of responsibility, and today the biggest problem of democracy in the world is accountability. Many even renounce certain rights and tell the state again, 'You handle it.' That is, the state provides itself the opportunity and says, 'No, you do it; we cannot.' I want to say that this is not unique to Armenia, but I believe that this style, this way of informing the public is correct. I hope this will continue, and we will also discuss some of the issues facing our country — whether good or bad.

Regarding the Government's 2021-2026 programs, I think we need to publicize a bit more what has been done. For instance, when I look at the hub being built in the south near Meghri and Agarak, I am very impressed by what is planned to be done there and what kind of transport hub it will ultimately be. This is necessary because in many cases we think that doing what is important is enough, but we also need to present all this to the people.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Pashinyan said, "Thank you, Mr. President, for the invitation and the appreciation. Generally speaking, I think the topic you raised is very important because it is crucial for our government and for me personally to continue being in communication with the public. I should also note that at some point, I recorded that there are many processes aimed precisely at preventing this communication. That is, to ensure that the Government remains closed within its shell, in this case, inside the cabinets, and does not communicate with the public, and there was a time when it was a question for me how much we should communicate with the public. Because our understanding of governments is that we should only inform the public about good news or look at everything only from a positive perspective. That problem, that dilemma, by the way, I want to say has also pursued me for a long time, including until the 2020 war, because the reality we had by 2018 in the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue had no common communication with the public perceptions, the perceptions we had concerning the substance of the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiation process. Essentially, yes, this is a strategic decision that we must communicate with the public. Regardless of everything, communication with the public is the most important thing because it has strategic significance, including from a security perspective.

Regarding the progress of the Government's program implementation, I must emphasize that according to the Constitution, we have submitted the report on the program's implementation to the National Assembly by March 1, detailing how the program is being implemented. I believe we have received a very substantial document, but not everything was included there, in the sense that we tried to prepare the document in a concise manner. I can highlight two very important points from that document, which we will discuss in detail in the National Assembly. The first mention, which is very important for me, relates to the healthcare sector. Compared to 2017, based on 2022 results, we have more than doubled the volume of state-ordered healthcare services, meaning we have seen a growth of 125 percent compared to 2017. The number of cases serviced by the state order for the citizens of the Republic of Armenia in 2022 has increased by 125 percent, meaning there has been more than a twofold increase. This is a matter of our citizens' health in various situations. May God give everyone health, but of course the government must also help God in that matter to ensure health issues are resolved.

The next statistical data that is again very important for me is the following: During the year 2022, Armenian airlines have carried more than 900,000 passengers. This is very important because our political commitment has also been that we must have Armenian airlines, and in fact, around 25 percent of the market is comprised of Armenian airlines. This is also very significant in terms of repatriation because during 2022, around 200 jobs were created in the aviation sector, and many high-quality pilots, born and raised in Armenia, who did not have jobs in Armenia and would only come back during vacations, are now working in Armenia and can also spend their vacations in Armenia. There are more data. Thank you for following the activities of the Government, and if you are following, I assume you will also follow the discussions in the National Assembly.

Responding, Vahagn Khachatryan said, "Absolutely. Let me mention one number. As a specialist, I have always looked at this; it is the greatest achievement from my perspective. It concerns the issue of unemployment. For years, we have always been at 25-30 percent. This has happened—official statistics and studies. Official statistics, according to the 'Employment Law,' were up to 10 percent, while the real unemployment rate was 25-30 percent. And in all our international comparisons, that was the most negative. Now it has become 11.5 percent. In my professional assessments, I find this to be the greatest achievement. Ultimately, in the political system of the Federal Reserve System of the United States, there are two crucial factors: inflation and unemployment. We have only inflation because in many cases, inflation can be maintained at the expense of unemployment, but in that case, both factors are very important. That is to say, the essence of economic policy is to ensure job creation or to have low unemployment and low inflation. I assess this aspect in the Government's activities very highly, and of course, I have again taken the report; I will look at it to the end and follow it, but I also appreciate the work being done. One more aspect I would like to mention: Your personal participation in the reports. I find it to be a crucial factor in raising the responsibility of our departments, when the Prime Minister is present with a sufficiently representative team in each department. This is truly commendable because there was a different approach before, where the Prime Minister would not go; a Deputy Prime Minister or one minister would go, which was a formal process. This is also a good way to increase management efficiency, and we must only solve our most important issues, which you also continuously mention. You know that I am also dedicated to realizing that idea, which has two important components: the establishment of full peace in the region, making our region a hub for international cooperation, and, of course, democracy. We have no retreat from the principles we have chosen. The Government is implementing this."

Concluding, Nikol Pashinyan noted, "Yes, obviously, ensuring security, external security and peace is an absolute priority, and that is also the reason why a large part of our joint work is dedicated to this. But it is also important for me that despite all that, we have not only not failed the reform agenda but, on the contrary, the main idea of the Government's report emphasizes that our response to all this must be somewhat asymmetric. What do I mean by this? We must not deviate from the development agenda and the reform agenda for a single moment, while continuing to focus more and more on the security agenda."