"Armenia" bloc presents  socio-economic section of its election  program

ArmInfo.The "Armenia" bloc of second President Robert Kocharyan has presented the socio-economic  section of its election program.  

During a press conference in Yerevan, Artur Khachatryan, a deputy from the opposition "Armenia" faction, spoke about the economic changes they intend to implement in the country if they win the parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7, 2026, and come to power.

During a presentation on the economic reforms of their political force, Khachatryan recalled that under Robert Kocharyan's presidency, the World Bank dubbed Armenia the "Caucasian Tiger," as the country's economic growth averaged close to 12% from 2001 to 2008, and after a long period of emigration, the country recorded a positive net migration balance for the first time. "Meanwhile, the country's current authorities have  nearly doubled Armenia's external debt, bringing it to $15 billion," Khachatryan said.

Speaking about what needs to be done for Armenia's economic  development, the MP noted that if they win the election, their  policies will be aimed at revitalizing the industry, creating a  high-tech economy, and building policies that leverage the country's  competitive advantages and the abilities of its citizens.   Furthermore, he stated, a "Made in Armenia" policy will be  implemented, under which they intend to manufacture goods in the  country that will be associated with high quality and technological  progress. "The share of industry in GDP will be 25%, almost doubling.  To achieve this, we intend to implement tax incentives and targeted  support programs in priority areas. This, in turn, will encourage  Armenian citizens to purchase local products. In this way, we will  support local producers and facilitate job creation," Khachatryan  assured.

The MP noted that the state's attitude toward entrepreneurs,  manufacturers, and businesspeople will also change, and an import  substitution system will be implemented. "When Armenia imposed an  embargo on Turkish goods in 2021, Armenian industry and Armenian  producers began to develop. Under the current circumstances, this  will be achieved by abolishing corporate income and value-added taxes  to promote import substitution in strategic areas that ensure  Armenia's competitiveness and have a high social impact, such as  agriculture, agricultural processing, and the textile industry,"  Khachatryan clarified.

The opposition leader added that they also intend to address the  issues of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in Armenia.  "Although small businesses don't generate high income, they  nevertheless provide people with economic and political freedom,  while also connecting them to the country. Therefore, effective steps  must be taken to encourage SMEs in Armenia. To this end, we plan to  implement a tax refund policy for small businesses. As for  medium-sized businesses, tax refunds will be determined based on  their location and economic sector," the MP stated.  Khachatryan  pointed out that they don't intend to limit themselves to tax refunds  alone; they will also provide significant targeted support, such as  financial and advisory support, and support for the export of these  products, to stimulate the expansion of Armenia's export geography.

Furthermore, according to the MP, they will develop tourism to  promote small and medium-sized businesses. In this regard, he noted  that their goal is to increase the country's tourist flow to 5  million. "That is, people who will come to Armenia to enjoy their  trip, not to look for work, for example, as a delivery driver,"  Khachatryan emphasized. He also detailed their lending plan and  touched on the issue of Armenia's public debt.

In turn, Artsvik Minasyan, Secretary of the "Armenia" parliamentary  faction, presented the social component of their election program,  stating that they plan to make environmental investments using public  debt. As Minasyan recalled in this regard, Armenia currently has a  large debt to various countries, which are obligated to make payments  to international environmental funds. "These funds, in turn, should  invest in countries with opportunities for environmental investment.  And instead of repaying these countries, Armenia could reach an  agreement with them that these funds will be invested in Armenia to  enrich the environment," the faction secretary explained.  The second  step, he said, would be to align the minimum wage with the minimum  consumer basket, which would be achieved through wage indexation. In  other words, as the faction secretary clarified, wages will increase  annually legally, not for political expediency. "The basic pension  will be increased by at least 50% and will be subject to indexation.  During the winter, gas and electricity bills will be fully reimbursed  for socially vulnerable families, single pensioners, the extremely  poor, and families with children. Electricity tariff policy will also  be revised, specifically aimed at reducing daytime rates. The  property tax will also be reduced, meaning the planned increase for  2026 will be cancelled, and a luxury tax will be implemented, under  which wealthy individuals will pay for those with low or middle  incomes. In other words, social solidarity will be ensured through a  fair distribution of income," Minasyan said.

He noted that they also intend to abolish universal income  declaration. Regarding universal health insurance, Minasyan stated  that it will continue to operate, but will be as seamless as possible  and will cover all population groups. "As for newly formed families,  we plan to implement the 'Successful Family' model, under which,  starting with the second child, the income tax for subsequent  children will be reduced by another 3%. Large families, as well as  residents of Artsakh, will receive state support for housing and  employment. The country's authorities have rejected many similar  legislative initiatives," Minasyan noted.

Regarding charitable foundations, he noted that they intend to  prohibit their creation by those holding public office and their  family members, noting that they often become involved in shadow  activities. "As for taxi drivers and farmers, their activities will  be included in the insurance period. The main issue will also be  addressing unemployment, for which 35,000-45,000 new jobs will be  created annually, resulting in a halving of the unemployment rate,"  Minasyan concluded.