SARKISIAN PROMISES 'JUSTICE,' NEW JOBS ON CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Ruzanna Stepanian, Naira Bulghadarian
http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/24544012.html
10.04.2012
Armenia - President Serzh Sarkisian speaks at a campaign rally in
Yerevan, 10 Apr 2012.
President Serzh Sarkisian pledged to strengthen the rule of law and
create thousands of new jobs as he launched the parliamentary election
campaign of his Republican Party (HHK) with rallies held in Yerevan's
southern suburbs on Tuesday.
Sarkisian was only accompanied by Yerevan Mayor Taron Markarian
and another prominent HHK member as he arrived at his party's first
pre-election gathering held in the Erebuni district.
"Major steps have been and are being taken towards becoming a
rule-of-law state," he told several thousand people rallying there.
"They will reverberate with all their vigor later on."
"Considering vicious mores that took root [in Armenia] for decades,
that is a difficult task indeed," Sarkisian said. "I'm not denying
that. But [give me] several years and together we will ensure a
totally different level of justice for every citizen of the Republic
of Armenia."
Sarkisian went on to defend his and his party's economic track record,
reiterating that they saved the country from big economic "shocks"
during the 2009 global recession. "However, we have not managed to
ensure the kind of economic growth that would have had considerable
and tangible effects on the general population," he said. "But today we
are already in a position to successfully attain the goal of creating
thousand of new jobs."
"[Give me] several years and together we will ensure a substantially
greater direct impact of a growing economy on everyone's welfare,"
added the HHK later.
The economic situation was the central theme of campaign speeches
that were delivered earlier in the day by Gagik Tsarukian, the leader
of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), the HHK's junior partner in
the governing coalition. Campaigning in Armenia's central Kotayk
province, Tsarukian urged voters not to trust in large-scale job
creation promised by other election contenders.
"Our people deserve to live well and have jobs," Tsarukian told a rally
held in the town of Yeghvard. "The new jobs that they are talking about
... nobody can create that many jobs. Those who say that are lying."
The BHK leader, who is one of the country's wealthiest businessmen,
said that the government should simply make it easier for unemployed
Armenians to set up and operate small businesses. Supporting small and
medium-sized enterprises must be its chief economic priority, he said.
Tsarukian openly criticized the HHK-led government's economic policies
at a recent BHK congress in Yerevan. He specifically disapproved of
its response to the 2009 recession.
"Many of them will come and present various programs and fairy
tales once in five years," the tycoon said on Tuesday of other,
unspecified election candidates. "But none of them will ever be able
to say Tsarukian promised something but didn't turn that promise
into reality."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Ruzanna Stepanian, Naira Bulghadarian
http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/24544012.html
10.04.2012
Armenia - President Serzh Sarkisian speaks at a campaign rally in
Yerevan, 10 Apr 2012.
President Serzh Sarkisian pledged to strengthen the rule of law and
create thousands of new jobs as he launched the parliamentary election
campaign of his Republican Party (HHK) with rallies held in Yerevan's
southern suburbs on Tuesday.
Sarkisian was only accompanied by Yerevan Mayor Taron Markarian
and another prominent HHK member as he arrived at his party's first
pre-election gathering held in the Erebuni district.
"Major steps have been and are being taken towards becoming a
rule-of-law state," he told several thousand people rallying there.
"They will reverberate with all their vigor later on."
"Considering vicious mores that took root [in Armenia] for decades,
that is a difficult task indeed," Sarkisian said. "I'm not denying
that. But [give me] several years and together we will ensure a
totally different level of justice for every citizen of the Republic
of Armenia."
Sarkisian went on to defend his and his party's economic track record,
reiterating that they saved the country from big economic "shocks"
during the 2009 global recession. "However, we have not managed to
ensure the kind of economic growth that would have had considerable
and tangible effects on the general population," he said. "But today we
are already in a position to successfully attain the goal of creating
thousand of new jobs."
"[Give me] several years and together we will ensure a substantially
greater direct impact of a growing economy on everyone's welfare,"
added the HHK later.
The economic situation was the central theme of campaign speeches
that were delivered earlier in the day by Gagik Tsarukian, the leader
of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), the HHK's junior partner in
the governing coalition. Campaigning in Armenia's central Kotayk
province, Tsarukian urged voters not to trust in large-scale job
creation promised by other election contenders.
"Our people deserve to live well and have jobs," Tsarukian told a rally
held in the town of Yeghvard. "The new jobs that they are talking about
... nobody can create that many jobs. Those who say that are lying."
The BHK leader, who is one of the country's wealthiest businessmen,
said that the government should simply make it easier for unemployed
Armenians to set up and operate small businesses. Supporting small and
medium-sized enterprises must be its chief economic priority, he said.
Tsarukian openly criticized the HHK-led government's economic policies
at a recent BHK congress in Yerevan. He specifically disapproved of
its response to the 2009 recession.
"Many of them will come and present various programs and fairy
tales once in five years," the tycoon said on Tuesday of other,
unspecified election candidates. "But none of them will ever be able
to say Tsarukian promised something but didn't turn that promise
into reality."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress