Epress.am News from Armenia
Asked why he refused parliamentary mandates if he is now wanting to be nominated again as a National Assembly deputy, businessmen Khachatur Sukiasyan, speaking to reporters in the Armenian capital today, said: “There was such an environment then that it wasn’t possible to work and fulfill plans, but now it’s possible to get into parliament together as a team.”
Though Sukiasyan doesn’t belong to any political party, if he is elected, he will first and foremost collaborate with the parliamentarians elected on the Armenian National Congress (HAK) slate.
“I was in parliament for 10 years; I have friends and I’ve kept my ties with them, regardless of their party affiliation. I will have relations with all political parties — first and foremost with HAK,” he said.
The former MP said he considers the inclusion of businessmen in parliament to be positive, reminding the press that he was one of the first to support lawmakers engaging in business.
“You know, if I have a big family, brothers who are now working in business, I can give advice at the coffee table — but I myself don’t work in management,” he said.
The candidate in the May 6 parliamentary elections has many plans, the first of which is tax relief for the economic sector.
“In the 20 years of independence, we haven’t had any steep flights in the economy. I will do everything in parliament so that one sector, the trade sector, is not taxed at all. It’s the wrong approach to fight for the budget — the budget might be low but we’ll have quick economic development. European countries, for example, Germany, spurred their economy like this. We have to study those practices. The Ministry of Economy has thousands of things to do,” he said.
Archival photo: RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun)