Narek Karapetyan: We should not be in the middle of conflicting  interests of regional powers

ArmInfo. Armenia cannot and should not be a point where the conflicting interests of regional powers converge,   said Narek Karapetyan, speaking on the First Public Channel.  Karapetyan leads  the "Strong Armenia" party's electoral list for the parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7, 2026. 

Continually fending off the interviewer's repetitive, rehearsed  remark about why he disagrees with the idea that "Strong Armenia" is  a pro-Russian political force, Karapetyan emphasized that in  strengthening the country, its economic and military might, Armenia  must not be turned into an anti-Russian outpost, exploiting the  contradictions between major regional powers, thereby creating major  threats to Russia and Iran. "We are saying that Armenia's leadership  should not be anti-Russian, should not be anti-Iranian, and should  work with all countries in the region to build a long-term model of  peaceful coexistence for the sake of development," Karapetyan  emphasized.

In response  to the repeated question about pro-Russian sentiment,  Karapetyan countered this stubborn, even professionally incorrect,  memorized narrative, declaring that there is a big difference between  so- called "pro-Russian sentiment" and protecting national interests.  "[Civil Contract] pro-government forces daily sling mud at Russia, a  country to which we export 60% of our exports," he said. Karapetyan  emphasized that "Strong Armenia" believes that the country's  interests are based on two main pillars:  economic interest and  national interest. The first concerns the country's economy's strong  ties to the Russian market, and the second concerns the fact that  more than 2 million Armenians live in Russia, and the country should  not create issues for them. Armenia itself shouldn't create issues  with any major country, including the United States, where  approximately 1 million Armenians live.

When asked why Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Ministry  spokesperson Maria Zakharova supported "Strong Armenia," Karapetyan  questioned the interviewer's knowledge of the facts, noting Russia's  undeniable concern about the country's leadership's anti-Russian  stance. "You remain silent and fail to criticize in your studio the  direct interference in the internal affairs of Fidan (Turkish Foreign  Minister - Ed.) or the country's Defense Minister, who allows himself  to directly interfere in Armenia's domestic political processes,"  Karapetyan retorted. "We are not pro-Russian, pro-Iranian, or  pro-American. We are committed to establishing good relations with  Iran, Russia, and the United States. If you think we are pro-  Iranian, pro-Russian, or pro-American, that's your business," he  said, clearly tired of the journalist's "broken record."