YEREVAN. – The Armenian Government’s economic policy is anchored in neither international track-record nor common sense, opposition ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party MP Artsvik Minasyan stated Wednesday, during the National Assembly discussions with respect to the bill on raising the monthly minimum wage by AMD 2,500 (approx. $6.16). 

As per Minasyan, the international record shows that it is necessary to stimulate demand—also by way of raising salaries—to surmount crises, but the Government is rather suffocating the demand instead of stimulating it. “If you do not give equivalent remuneration, the employee does not create the necessary value that is indispensable for the employer and the state,” Minasyan noted.      

He expressed a conviction that if the minimum wage is set up in accordance with the budget for securing livelihood, Armenia will achieve a growth in economy and employment and a rise in the living standards.