AZE.US
Azerbaijan risks falling behind Armenia in the economic race if Baku’s relations with the West remain tense and the country’s internal economic environment does not change, REAL party leader Ilgar Mammadov said.
Mammadov argued that it would be wrong to assume that Armenia’s closer ties with the West will automatically benefit Azerbaijan as well. In his view, the current situation may allow Yerevan to gain more access to Western financial markets, investment opportunities and economic projects than Baku.
As an example, he pointed to Azerbaijan’s recent decision to suspend engagement with the European Parliament. The move followed the inclusion of clauses critical of Azerbaijan in a European Parliament resolution concerning Armenia.
Mammadov said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan could have influenced the wording of the document because the resolution dealt with Armenia’s future, not Azerbaijan.
“If he had wanted, he could have told European lawmakers that this text does not serve peace and should be removed,” Mammadov said.
He argued that Yerevan’s failure to prevent the adoption of a document containing criticism of Baku should be seen as a serious signal for Azerbaijan.
According to Mammadov, the worse Azerbaijan’s relations with the West remain, the more opportunities Armenia will have to secure Western funding, investment and economic projects.
He said Pashinyan’s goal is not to make Azerbaijan wealthier, but to strengthen Armenia. Mammadov argued that Yerevan is pursuing an economic path that could eventually reduce the significance of Azerbaijan’s military advantage.
Mammadov cited several indicators that he said point to a worrying trend. According to him, salaries in Armenia are now about 25 percent higher than in Azerbaijan. He also said bank deposits per capita in Armenia are almost three times higher than in Azerbaijan, while Armenia’s GDP has been growing much faster for several years.
He also criticized Azerbaijan’s domestic economic and political environment, saying that fear, pressure and fines do not help an economy grow.
“Fines, fear and pressure do not create new wealth. They only divide and consume the old wealth,” Mammadov said.
In his view, Azerbaijan’s economy cannot compete effectively with Armenia’s under such conditions. He said the country needs an environment in which business, investment and private initiative can operate more freely.
Mammadov’s broader message is that competition between Azerbaijan and Armenia is no longer limited to diplomacy, roads and the military balance. Salaries, investment, banking resources, access to Western markets and the ability to create new wealth are becoming increasingly important.
AZE.US