YEREVAN. - Among the nine political forces taking part in the parliamentary elections of Armenia, only two apart from the Republican Party Armenia (RPA) have precisely stated about their positions on foreign policy.

Defense Minister of Armenia Vigen Sargsyan, who tops the proportional list of the RPA, said the aforementioned on Monday at a conference attended by NGOs of the military and patriotic education and defense sphere.

According to the minister, this is indicative of the fact that in case of being elected, these forces will be responsible only for the economic allocation in the country. “They are only talking about increasing the wages, which means that they are proposing to reduce the expenses on the army. As a Defense Minister, I would be the happiest man if the officer would get a salary corresponding to international standards,” Sargsyan stressed. The average salary in the republic is 180,000 AMD, which, in his words, is the second average salary after Russia on the post-Soviet area.

“I am sorry that our colleagues avoided open debates,” Sargsyan noted. The proposal to hold debates was accepted only by ARF Dashnaktsutyun and Yelk (Way Out) bloc. “This should worry our society, since the people who didn’t accept this proposal have something to conceal,” the minister added.