Narek Karapetyan calls on opposition in Armenia to remember struggle  for preservation of homeland

ArmInfo.  Narek Karapetyan, a member of the political council of the Strong Armenia party, called on opposition forces and citizens with opposition views to remember that  today they are fighting for the homeland and that only together can  they achieve change in the country.  He made this statement at a party press conference outside the Armenian parliament building, where Samvel Karapetyan's Strong Armenia bloc launched its election campaign for the upcoming June 7 elections.

The party council member recalled that eight years ago, on this very day, Nikol Pashinyan was elected prime minister by the Armenian parliament. "He became prime  minister promising to bring prosperity and peace-both to Armenia and  Artsakh. For eight years, he promised that the country would have a  fair system, that it would prosper, and that people would live well  and safely. They made countless promises.  Eight years later, we're  standing on the same street, and almost nothing has changed, except  that our country has shrunk," Karapetyan noted. He recalled that it  was under the current government that the country went through three  wars, incurred a $10,000 debt per family in Armenia, and doubled  taxes on small businesses. And instead of overcoming poverty in the  country, according to a member of the party's political council, the  Armenian authorities handed out bonuses to themselves, and all  members of the ruling Civil Contract party received positions. "In  the eight years since the Velvet Revolution, only a specific group of  people have benefited, while the Armenian people achieved everything  they have achieved solely through their own labor. The state played  no role in this," Karapetyan believes.

According to a member of the party's political council, official data  shows that one in five people in Armenia currently lives in poverty.  This means, as Karapetyan explained, that approximately 600,000  Armenians are currently poor. He noted that the country has almost no  trading partners left, and severing ties with those it does have will  deprive Armenian citizens of the opportunity to work abroad,  especially in areas where the state has failed to create jobs.  "Armenia exports billions of dollars, our agricultural crops are  completely exported, and all of this is at risk. This is no way to  treat our own people. Moreover, under the current government,  language that was previously banned has begun to be used. Every day  we encounter insults from the Armenian prime minister," the member of  the Strong Armenia party's political council noted. Meanwhile,  according to Karapetyan, their primary goal if they win the election  will be to eradicate poverty within the first three to four months.  "We have a program that provides 150,000 drams per month to each  family of five to overcome extreme poverty. Armenian businessmen from  the diaspora will provide 70% of this amount, and the state will  contribute only 30%. No one else in Armenia can implement this  project, as no businessman or capital owner from the diaspora will  respond to the current government's call," Karapetyan noted,  recalling that many of them are their friends. As the party's  political council member explained, the program will be implemented  in its first phase and will help these families overcome extreme  poverty. Afterward, they intend to implement their job creation  program in Armenia within five years.

"Armenia's security is also under threat today. It can only be  ensured by a comprehensive military industry and the transformation  of the army. We currently have two or three partners with whom we  still trade and with whom we have maintained minimal military  cooperation, but we could lose even that," Karapetyan noted.

Regarding foreign policy cooperation, he noted that they see great  potential for cooperation with the current US administration. "At the  same time, we must understand that a number of European leaders could  change based on the results of their countries' elections. For  example, we must understand who will be in power in France in a  year," Karapetyan noted. In this regard, he also noted that under the  current government, exports to France have decreased by 20%, while  exports to Russia, on the contrary, have increased significantly. In  light of the above, the party's political council member called on  all opposition forces and citizens with opposition views to remember  that today they are fighting for a common homeland, and today the  country needs change. "The only thing these authorities have achieved  is learning how to borrow and spend it. We need change. People  shouldn't feel negative when they see the parliament building; it  should give them hope," Karapetyan concluded.