Artur Vanetsyan: Corruption rampant in Armenia

Artur Vanetsyan, former director of the National Security Service (NSS) and chairman of the Homeland Party, accused the current government of widespread corruption and economic mismanagement.

“They once promised to return stolen assets to the people. Now, they’ve become the biggest looters themselves. Corruption is rampant in Armenia,” he said in an appearance on the LurjCast podcast on Sunday.

Vanetsyan criticized the current government for introducing legislation that burdens ordinary citizens.

"One of the reasons Nikol Pashinyan has managed to hold onto power is that he initially gave the illusion of freedom to the business community," Vanetsyan argued. "In the early days, many in the business community supported him, thinking, ‘At least there’s no tax terror, no monopolies.’ But that has changed. Today, we’re seeing businesses tied to the ruling elite monopolize key sectors. If a business owner doesn’t support the Civil Contract Party or refuses to attend one of their now-notorious fundraising events, they suddenly find themselves subject to arbitrary tax audits and punitive inspections."

Vanetsyan also criticized the state of the economy, accusing the government of manipulating financial data and failing to meet budgetary targets.

To fill that gap, he warned the government will likely resort to external borrowing, which would further increase Armenia’s national debt exceeding $12 billion.

"The current authorities have destroyed our security system, destabilized the economy, healthcare and left the education sector in a disgraceful state. They’re trying to erase our identity with false promises, loud rhetoric and insults," Vanetsyan stressed.