May 9, 2026
The Republic of Artsakh did not have a customs service, so all import and export taxes were paid to the RA state budget, a part of which was later transferred to Artsakh as an interstate loan. Samvel Shahramanian, the former president of Artsakh, said this at the “Yerablur” military pantheon, referring to Nikol Pashinyan’s statements.
Nikol Pashinyan, the prime ministerial candidate of the “Civil Agreement” party, announced yesterday during the pre-election meetings in Syunik that we were deceived that we live badly for Karabakh. He also said: “At the expense of Armenia, pensions and salaries in Karabakh have been high, and those people who forget this are renegades and are grateful.”
Shahramanyan emphasized that the Republic of Armenia, as the guarantor of the security of the Republic of Artsakh, also supported financially, but it is not as if financial resources were not generated within Artsakh. The money from RA was given to Artsakh as an interstate loan.
“It does not mean that we were sitting there like freeloaders and benefited only from the money provided by the taxpayers of Armenia or the state budget. The Republic of Artsakh did not have a customs border with the Republic of Armenia and did not have a customs service, and in that direction all taxes were paid to the state budget of the Republic of Armenia. What was leaving Artsakh, what was entering Artsakh, the only way was through the Republic of Armenia, and quite a lot of taxes were accumulated in the state budget of the Republic of Armenia.
We had mining, agriculture, various productions, which during export and import, these taxes were generated to the RA state budget, a part of which was paid as an interstate loan,” said Shahramanyan.
At the same time, he reminded that Artsakh was a protective shield for Armenia, and it is clear that everything should be done to make that shield strong.
“How can we say that we kept you, you lived well there, it has nothing to do with reality,” said Shahramanyan.
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