Supporters gather at Congress Hotel in Yerevan to hear the Armenia Alliance’s socio-economic plan on Apr. 8

The Armenia Alliance presented its socio-economic platform during an event held on Wednesday at the Congress Hotel in Yerevan.

The alliance, headed by former president Robert Kocharian and including the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, is running as an opposition bloc in the upcoming June 7 elections.

The two lawmakers, Arthur Khachatryan and Artsvik Minasyan, who made presentations said that if elected, the Armenia Alliance will reduce taxes, create a more beneficial environment for the growth of the agriculture sector and will increase pensions.

Khachatryan warned that the rosy economic outlook depicted by the current regime has largely relied on debt, arguing that if these policies continue, future generations would have to bear the burden of the mounting debt.

“The economic growth they [the current regime] is showing is a result of debt. In eight years, Armenia’s debt has doubled, reaching $15 billion,” Khachatryan said, adding that this burden will fall on everyone, including newborns, with an average of $5,000 debt per citizen.

He noted that Armenia’s current economic growth is largely based on services and retail trade, while exports are mainly driven by gold, diamonds, mining, brandy, and tobacco.

“Where is our industrial potential? Where is the high-tech industry praised by this government?,” Khachatryan countered.

He said that beginning on June 8, the policies of the Armenia Alliance will focus on reviving industry, creating an economy by elevating the tech sector and building on competitive advantages.

Khachatryan then turned his attention to what he deemed by the deterioration of the agricultural sector under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s leadership, arguing that “Armenia needs a competitive and prosperous agricultural sector.”

“We have gone back 25 years. With a single stroke of a pen, the Ministry of Agriculture was dismantled. More than half of our arable land is not being cultivated. And yet they [the government] proudly say we imported sub-par wheat from Kazakhstan. This cannot continue,” he emphasized.

According to Khachatryan, the alliance’s policies will aim to increase agricultural profitability, ensure food security, and improve quality of life in rural areas. “You can’t walk in a village without boots. People must remain in villages and strengthen our borders,” he said.

He noted that land plots are currently too small, making cultivation expensive and inefficient.

“We will promote cooperation and land consolidation while preserving ownership rights,” Khachatryan explained, adding that the state will support farmers in acquiring high-quality seeds, saplings, and livestock. Since agriculture is knowledge-based, farmers will also receive support to expand their knowledge of the sector.

He explained that the Alliance’s program will include up to 15 million drams in preferential loans with zero interest, cheaper fuel and seeds, improved water resource management, and support for sales and exports. Strategic products will also be guaranteed favorable prices.

Minasyan, the other presenter and a current lawmaker, focused on social aspects that, he said, had hindered the economy.

“The current difficult social situation is not only due to external factors or psychological conditions. It is also the result of deep social problems that this government has created and continues to reinforce. One of the causes is the clearly unequal distribution of income,” Minasyan explained.

He noted that incomes of vulnerable groups are clearly lagging behind rising costs of living.

“Not only are prices of essential food, medicine, and utilities rising sharply, but property taxes and public transport fares are also increasing. Hundreds of thousands of citizens are faced daily with difficult choices—whether to pay for heating or essential medication with their limited income,” Minasyan said.

He argued that these policies have created social polarization, and vowed to eliminate it under the Armenia Alliance programs.
“The minimum wage will be aligned with the minimum living basket and will be indexed—meaning it will automatically increase each year at least in line with inflation, by law, not political will. The basic pension will increase by at least 50 percent and will also be indexed to inflation. During winter months, gas and electricity costs will be fully subsidized for socially vulnerable single pensioners, extremely poor families, and families with children,” Minasyan said.

“We will reduce property tax. The excessively high increase planned for 2026 will be canceled, and a luxury tax will be introduced—meaning the wealthy will pay more to ease the burden on low- and middle-income citizens. Social solidarity will be restored through fair income redistribution,” he said, adding that universal income declaration will also be abolished.

He noted that Armenian capital worldwide is estimated at around $400 billion, and through a proposed “Multi-purpose Fund,” attracting just five percent of it could significantly contribute to national development.

Addressing healthcare, Minasyan said that while the current insurance system has created issues for both doctors and patients, the alliance plans to improve it without dismantling it.

“We are here to further strengthen family protection. Under the ‘Family Growth Model,’ income tax will decrease by an additional two percent for each child after the second,” he said.

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