Narek Karapetyan says Armenians capable of future victories through national development

Opposition politician Narek Karapetyan on Saturday accused the Armenian authorities of attempting to sever the connection between Armenian identity and the idea of victory.

Speaking to reporters at Victory Park in Yerevan during Victory Day commemorations, Karapetyan, a board member of the Strong Armenia party and the leader of its electoral list, said Armenians had repeatedly overcome existential challenges and would continue to achieve new successes through national unity and development.

May 9 has traditionally been observed in Armenia as a “triple holiday”,  marking the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II in 1945, the liberation of Shushi during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1992 and the founding of the Artsakh Defense Army.

“Victory Day carries deep significance for the Armenian people,” Karapetyan said. “Through immense hardship and at times sustained only by the last remnants of hope, we triumphed over fascism — a threat to all humanity — and secured our right to live in an independent sovereign state.”

He said Armenians could achieve future victories through economic progress, national resilience and effective state development.

“If we work efficiently and build our country properly, we will achieve new victories,” he said. “Today, there are efforts to separate the words ‘Armenians’ and ‘victory’, to convince society that we are incapable of success. But we are capable.”

Karapetyan added that Armenia’s future successes should be measured by prosperity, regional competitiveness and stronger ties with the global Armenian diaspora.

“Our prosperity will be the victory through which we affirm our place in the region,” he said. “A thriving Armenia and the return of our compatriots from the diaspora to their homeland — that is our victory.”

He also sharply criticized the country’s leadership over national security issues and the legacy of victories in Artsakh, arguing that attempts to diminish or erase those achievements from public memory would ultimately fail.

“Perhaps our greatest mistake was entrusting them with the country’s security,” Karapetyan said. “That mistake must be corrected as soon as possible. Errors of such magnitude cannot simply be forgiven, especially when the cost has been so high. That cost includes our fallen soldiers.”