BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 3
By Azer Ahmadbayli – Trend:
Armenian President Armen Sargsyan has recently congratulated citizens of his country on the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, stressing that it became a signal of the beginning of a new historical stage in the life of country's people.
Will the new stage of prosperity of Armenian people be based on the socio-economic foundation of the last thirty years?
To answer this question, it should be enough to look at the statistics from independent international institutions, such as WB, CIA World Factbook, Knoema.
For comparison, the data on Azerbaijan, which restored its independence in 1991 (the same year as Armenia) is also given:
|
Armenia |
Azerbaijan |
|||
|
1990-91 |
2019 |
1990-91 |
2019 |
|
|
Population (mln) |
3.5 |
2.9 |
7.2 |
10 |
|
Population growth rate (%) |
0.0 |
0.2 |
0.4 |
0.9 |
|
Poverty rate (% of population) |
.. |
32 |
.. |
4.9 |
|
Unemployment rate (%) |
1.6 |
17.1 (19.8 as of March 2020) |
.. |
4.8 |
|
Gross national income at purchasing power parity (in billion current international dollars) |
8.2 |
42.7 |
25.2 |
143.9 |
|
Total state debt (% to GDP) |
0.5 |
50.1 (2020) |
0.1 |
18.6 (2020) |
|
GDP in current US dollars (bln) |
2.26 |
13.6 |
8.86 |
48 |
|
Current account balance (% to GDP) |
… |
-9.7 |
… |
9.2 |
|
Net inflow of foreign direct investments (million US dollars) |
2 |
254.48 |
.. |
1,503.92 |
|
Net migration rate (per 1,000 people) |
-5.6 (2018) |
0 (2018) |
||
So, the “new historical stage” in the life of the Armenian people, which the Armenian president spoke about, in terms of the key economic indicators, to put it mildly, cannot instill optimism in citizens of this country.
Maybe Armenia is capable of pursuing an independent state policy, which is the most important criterion for independence? No, again.
Armenia has patrons, but no partners and friends. The consent to play the role of the watchdog in the region or a bargaining chip, does not allow it to build equal, mutually beneficial relations with members of the international community, and, first of all, with neighboring countries.
Independence Day will be celebrated in Armenia on September 21. It would be interesting to know how many people living there realize that hanging the national flag and singing the national anthem is not independence yet.