Responding to a demand by the Prosperous Armenia Party, the second largest bloc in the parliament, that Pashinyan’s government resign because it has mismanaged the battle against the coronavirus and has not provided adequate economic assistance to those in need, Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan told reporters today that government critics must back up their claims with proof.

Grigoryan said the government had done a rather good job on many fronts.

“We can look at what other countries have done, when, and to what extent, and thus compare the situation. Effective measures have been taken in terms of speed and targeting of resources. The opposition talks about a collapse. First, there must be proof and substantiation to have a rational discourse,” Grigoryan said.

The government has been criticized by some political circles for dropping the ball on managing the health and economic situation cause by the pandemic.

Grigoryan argued that the pandemic must first be dealt with, and some time must pass, before evaluating the government’s response measures.

"There is a professional argument that a tough quarantine provides positive results, but after lifting it, the consequences are more severe. I can't say whether it is so or not, but such expert conclusions exist. Until we neutralize the pandemic, I would not recommend giving assessments,” Grigoryan said.

As for a possible rise in natural gas prices, Grigoryan stressed that if there is no change in gas prices at the border, there is a possibility of a significant rise in prices for consumers. He said that negotiations on changing the gas price at the border is an ongoing process, as there are no joint institutional mechanisms for price formation.

"And that is why we have included this issue at the highest level in the European Economic Union," he said.