2024-03-05 15:23:18
On March 3, Artsakh Republic State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan convened an extended consultation dedicated to the pricing and inflation of goods sold by business entities under the blockade.
“Artsakh has been under siege for a long time, and by receiving humanitarian aid, the solution to the minimum food problems of the population is somehow organized. In order to prevent the economy from collapsing, business entities were given the opportunity to sell certain products. However, in recent days, I personally and the staff of the Minister of State have received complaints from citizens about the uncontrolled situation in the commodity markets and unjustified price increases. Based on our preliminary studies, I would like to note that these complaints are relevant and the Government of Azerbaijan is obliged to promptly respond to existing grievances. In this situation, the public can objectively form an opinion that the state is deliberately inactive in this matter or that we do not have enough tools to have a sufficient regulatory role in this matter,” said Gurgen Nersisyan.
The Minister of State considered the irresponsible behavior shown by some businessmen in the conditions of the blockade as unacceptable, as a result of which serious dangers were created in terms of the polarization of the society. He emphasized that, especially in the current difficult conditions, the polarization, the distinction between the rich and the poor, those who have opportunities and those who do not, seriously affects our inner life. Gurgen Nersisyan also noticed that the impression is created that the state does not suffer losses under the current conditions of pricing, but we forget that as a result of unreasonable pricing, the biggest damage is caused to the pockets of our citizens, and this cannot but harm the state.
“We must quickly bring the entire process of market relations and especially price regulation into the legal framework, so that malicious business entities are necessarily subject to a penalty. At the same time, it is necessary to achieve such regulations so that honest businessmen do not suffer in any way, moreover, we have the opportunity to encourage them. The exceptionality of the state is that it has the right to apply state coercion, we must bring everyone to the field of equality, and the society must feel that the state fully fulfills its obligation,” the state minister emphasized.
The state should set the maximum price of the product sold in the market, and the seller who exceeds it should be held liable. Gurgen Nersisyan instructed the participants and officials of the consultation to design the relevant legal act in one day, submit it for the approval of the government, after which it is necessary to quickly inform the public and proceed to the task of monitoring its application every hour.
The state minister informed the officials that he will personally monitor the proper performance of their functions by each of them.