Samvel Karapetyan: I have returned strategic assets from Russia to Armenia, and now I am returning to Armenia myself

ArmInfo."I returned Armenia's main strategic assets from Russia: the Electric Networks, the Hrazdan Thermal Power Plant, and the Sevan-Hrazdan Cascade—and now I am returning to Armenia myself," stated Samvel Karapetyan, head of the largest opposition party "Strong Armenia" and renowned businessman and philanthropist, at a press conference today.

He made these remarks in response to journalists' questions, specifically addressing the government's narrative suggesting that, upon coming to power, he would hand over the country's infrastructure to Russian management.

According to Karapetyan, he has always maintained that everyone should mind their own business, and until a few years ago, he had no intention of becoming a political figure.

"If there were no criminal prosecution against me, if there were no such lawlessness by the authorities against the people, no attacks on the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, and no attacks against our national identity, I would not have become a politician, as I did not see myself in politics. But when the question is about the loss of our Armenia, all ambitions and personal desires fade into the background," Karapetyan said.

He explained that this is why he decided to personally participate in these political processes: "It is better to do it right and well with your own hands once than to constantly rely on other political forces."

He expressed the opinion that the authorities would not be able to intimidate his political force with repressions. "We fight the lawlessness of the government daily and hourly; therefore, we have already developed an immunity to it, and we have set a course toward achieving an absolute victory," said the head of "Strong Armenia."

In this context, speaking about cooperation with other major opposition leaders, such as Robert Kocharyan and Gagik Tsarukyan, Karapetyan recalled their joint statement regarding their readiness to support whichever force secures the most votes. He expressed confidence that this force would be "Strong Armenia." He justified this confidence by citing public support, the results of all sociological polls, and the exceptionally low rating of Pashinyan, whom he claimed could be defeated even while under house arrest.

Karapetyan emphasized that the world is now aware of the lawlessness occurring in Armenia’s political arena today. "They are talking and writing about us in Washington, London, and Paris. In Russia, this has been addressed at the highest level. But this does not mean we should hold a predetermined stance. Since Pashinyan is currently doing everything to turn Armenia into a center for the clash of superpowers, with serious programs aimed at creating chaos here—including the resettlement of 300,000 Azerbaijanis. We understand that by resettling them in Armenia, we would eventually be forced to replenish our army with them by at least 10,000 people. We vividly remember the crime of (Ramil) Safarov in Hungary. Are we supposed to patiently watch all these steps unfold? This is precisely why we need new, strong leadership to balance the positions of all our international partners. And rest assured, we will achieve this very soon," noted the leader of "Strong Armenia."