YEREVAN. – The public will be more disappointed if the Government of Armenia were to announce that the salaries will be raised but this does not happen, rather than it were to announce that they will not be raised in the 2017 budget. 

The Minister of Finance, Vardan Aramyan, told the aforementioned to reporters, after Monday’s National Assembly hearings on the draft state budget for next year. He noted this while reflecting on the expected economic growth, which is at the basis of this budget.

“Yes, I believe that a 3.2-percent economic growth is realistic,” noted Aramyan. “And we can achieve this [goal].”

When asked whether the Armenian society will be disappointed given that salaries and pensions will not be raised next year, the minister responded that the public will be more disappointed if he were to lie.

“You need to be honest, and ensure a stable economic climate for the community,” added the minister. “You need to sacrifice something to gain something.

“I sacrificed the increase in pensions and salaries, which I could have done short-term, but I wouldn’t have been fair and honest towards them.

“It’s not honest to jeopardize the long-term task [of ensuring economic growth] by resolving a [solely] one-year problem.”