To be honest, what I understood from the questions and answers and speeches during the past two days is that there were no and will not be any substantial discussions. This is what Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan told journalists at the National Assembly on 13 February, touching upon the discussions on the government program taking place at the National Assembly.

“I didn’t hear any constructive recommendations from the opposition in regard to the government program. There were only discussions on the concept. I regret that there was no substantial discussion on the economic model, inclusivity, increase of competitiveness and more exports. I would like for us to be constructive and discuss such issues,” Avinyan added.

When told that there used to be discussions with parliamentary factions before submission of a government program to the National Assembly in the past, Avinyan said he didn’t know about the ‘traditions’ of the former governments, but this is a government program that is presented in a four-day period. “The government takes full responsibility for the government program, not the National Assembly. However, we are ready to discuss recommendations.