Narek Karapetyan: Volunteer movement first, political party next

At the launch of the "Our Way" people’s movement in Yerevan on Friday, international relations expert and movement coordinator Narek Karapetyan said Armenia has reached a point where “the people’s expectations are no longer being met”.

Karapetyan criticized the country’s political and social groups for fueling hostility instead of unity, adding that government officials have failed to transform from opposition journalists into statesmen.

“Today, we, philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan’s partners and supporters, announce the launch of the 'Our Way' volunteer movement,” he said, outlining its objectives.

Why a movement and not a party?

Karapetyan explained that the group deliberately chose to begin as a volunteer movement rather than a political party.
“A volunteer movement is the right format for uniting people around good deeds without dividing society," he said. "It's an apolitical association of citizens ready to selflessly serve the common good. Its members can come from different professions and backgrounds, contributing their time and skills outside of work.”

“But does this mean, as Samvel Karapetyan once suggested, that a fundamentally new political force will not be set up? No, it doesn’t,” Narek Karapetyan clarified. “This is only the first stage of our work. Armenia is approaching new electoral processes and the most effective legal form of participation in them is through a political party. In the second phase of our activity, we intend to turn the projects developed within the movement into state policy through a newly established party. We are confident this will become possible in the 2026 elections.”

Karapetyan added that the movement will operate through five task groups focusing on key areas of social activity.