That is why I have made a decision to resign and to give our President an opportunity to form a new government.
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Karapetyan, who previously served as mayor of the capital city, Yerevan, worked as the first vice-president of Gazprombank – connected to Russia’s main oil and gas company, Gazprom – and is now deputy CEO of Russian gas producer Gazprom’s GAZP.MM Mezhregiongaz unit.
We need common efforts of the Government and the public. Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan has accepted the resignation of the government, Sargsyan’s press office reported.
The government has also faced a flare-up of violence in Azerbaijan’s breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region and the seizure in July of a Yerevan police station by armed men demanding the release of a jailed opposition politician. After clashes and lengthy negotiations they surrendered on July 31.
Abrahamyan stepped down after two years in power.
Sargsya went on to speak about the “successes” of the Armenian economy under the leadership of Abrahamyan.
Abrahamyan – who was appointed two years ago – has also overseen a deterioration in economic growth, which slowed to 3 percent in 2015 from 3.5 percent in 2014 and below the government’s growth forecast of 4.1 percent.
Growth in 2016 is forecast to drop even lower to 2.2 percent – a direct result of an economic downturn in Russian Federation.
The Armenian press has speculated in recent months that Sarkisian may well sack Abrahamian and some key ministers in a bid to address popular dissatisfaction with the hard economic situation in the country. He is now deputy CEO of Russian gas producer Gazprom’s Mezhregiongaz unit. “He will be able to lead all the developments by the path defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, that is to say, through modern approaches”, Sargsyan said.
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Under a decree of the president, all the members of the government will continue to perform their duties until the formation of a new government.
