I Have Prohibited Kerobyan from Resigning, Says Prime Minister

During a Q&A session in the National Assembly, Arko Manukyan, a member of the "Armenia" faction, once again questioned Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan about when he plans to resign, and played back a recording in which Kerobyan had promised to step down if the country failed to achieve double-digit economic growth, emphasizing that he is not attached to his post.

However, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan unexpectedly chose to respond to the question. "I have prohibited Mr. Kerobyan from resigning. I will decide how much each minister and government member will work and how much they will not work," he stated.

The parliamentarian replied that he does not blame Kerobyan since he is merely reflecting Pashinyan's approach of contradicting his own promises. Pashinyan thanked him and left the session.

It should be noted that Vahan Kerobyan is frequently reminded of his promise to resign if there is no double-digit growth in 2021. The minister admitted at the end of last year that such a statement was made on impulse since people and especially business owners needed to be inspired with optimism after the crisis from the war and the pandemic.

On January 18, the minister's press secretary, Gayane Antonian, denied rumors regarding the minister's imminent resignation.