Samvel Karapetyan warns against voting for Pashinyan

Businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan, the prime ministerial candidate of the Strong Armenia party, issued a strongly worded statement urging voters not to back incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, warning that his leadership would lead to “poverty, hostility with Russia, polarization and economic collapse.”

Karapetyan accused Pashinyan of provoking a “geopolitical confrontation” with Moscow, saying Armenia’s deep economic ties with Russia are being jeopardized. “Russia supplies us with cheap gas, welcomes our seasonal workers and purchases much of our agricultural produce,” he said. “If that stops, what answer will you give to the Armenian people, who will only grow poorer?”

He criticized Pashinyan’s conduct during recent visits to Moscow, calling it “embarrassing” and claiming the prime minister has turned Armenia into a “stage for geopolitical clashes”. Karapetyan argued that Russia’s presence in the region has never prevented Armenia from cooperating with other powers and insisted that balanced diplomacy is essential for stability.

“We saw what happened to Georgia and Ukraine. We do not need new wars,” Karapetyan said. He pledged that under his leadership Armenia would pursue unity, economic strength and lasting peace. “Trust us and we will deliver real change — a strong economy, national unity and long-term peace. It's time for a strong Armenia.”