Strong Armenia party touts industrial jobs ahead of June 7 elections

Narek Karapetyan, a board member of the Strong Armenia party, said on Sunday that industrialization plans championed by businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan could generate hundreds of thousands of jobs, as the party campaigns for the June 7 parliamentary elections.

At a meeting with supporters in Charentsavan, Karapetyan highlighted Armenia’s reliance on imported galvanized products, worth about $60 million annually, while exporting $20 million in raw zinc that is processed abroad and resold at higher prices. “What prevents us from doing the processing here? The leadership,” he said.

Karapetyan argued that under Samvel Karapetyan’s leadership, Armenia would establish factories and create 300,000 new jobs through such industrial projects. He contrasted this vision with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s policies, which he alleged would bring demographic changes unfavorable to Armenians.