«Our society not in disappointment, our business not desperate»

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan attended today the fifth plenary session of the Union of the Manufacturers and Businessmen of Armenia. S. Sargsyan signified the holding of the session in a period when «the dispositions of the manufacturers and businessmen are of essential significance for the regulation of the problems the country faces.» The President said the priority of the session is the complex of joint activities of the state, business and the community in the conditions of the world financial crisis. Here one should evaluate not only the efficiency of the steps taken, but the new ways for the advance should be determined, the President said. According to him, the slogan «We must protect our economy» sounded several months ago is into force, but now one should answer how to pass the restoration stage more quickly.

S. Sargsyan said that the expectations for the first months of 2009 didn’t come true, unfortunately. Serious economic decline has been observed in the spheres of industry, construction, energy, there has been a slash in exports and private money transfers, the money budget incomes and investments were cut, the president noted.

According to S. Sargsyan, however, no cuts in salaries allocated from the state budget occurred. The mining factories didn’t stop working, or resumed their activity after a short period of halt.

Serzh Sargsyan thanked the Armenian nation for «adopting an adequate behaviour and not getting into panic,» the peasants who «launched the spring works» with little means, all those who «worked even having their salaries cut».

«Our society is not in disappointment, our business is not desperate either,» the Armenian leader said and added he is well-aware of all the difficulties the layers of our society are facing.