Category: News

Yesterday, at the regular session of the Government, a decision was made to compensate those who are unable to export their tomatoes, peppers and strawberries from Armenia. The decision, however, refers to the next month and what will happen in the coming months, the Government did not propose any solution.

Parallel to all this, yesterday the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and Nikol Pashinyan had a telephone conversation, where they discussed the restrictions recently applied by Russia to Armenia.

“This is nothing but economic pressure, and it is unacceptable. Europe firmly stands by Armenia. We are preparing a support package,” noted Layen.

According to the president of the European Commission, the package includes immediate financial assistance in the amount of more than 50 million euros. “Regarding the measures to ease the trade of some Armenian products, in particular, agricultural food products. And regarding the practical support of the affected sectors, such as Armenian flowers.”

Economist Hayk Farmanyan in other words, EAEU and EU markets are different things and in terms of demand for Armenian products, they are in different situations.

“EU standards are such that there is practically no demand for Armenian products. these volumes are so small that they are not adequate from the point of view of demand.” of 168.am Hayk Farmanyan said in a conversation with

As for the latest decision of the Government, about the so-called compensation, according to Hayk Farmanyan, this is pre-election bribery, because compensation is given to other representatives of society at the expense of a part of taxpayers.

“If I put it in a more accessible language, it says that: I provide you with money for your logistics, appropriate customs clearance, export wherever you want. Now, if your product is not in demand, no matter how much they want to finance it from the budget, it will not have a long life, that is, you cannot finance the entrepreneurs endlessly, you have to find markets for the sale of the product.

Take, for example, our wines, the wine must be in demand in the Italian, French or other European markets. Now, if there is no demand for that product, no matter how much they finance, the issue will not be resolved.

We have always said that if the government’s goal is to diversify our exports, then they should diversify not only the European direction, but also Arab countries, China, Vietnam, Korea, etc., Hayk Farmanyan added.

According to his observation, there are only political goals in all of this, therefore, Ursula von der Leyen’s statement about 50 million dollars is not accidental, reminding that only 10 million dollars were provided for Artsakh Armenians displaced from Artsakh. How is it that they provide only 10 million dollars in aid for the Armenians of Artsakh, and now they finance the Government of Armenia with 50 million dollars?

“It is clear that the current government has made Armenia the focal point of the clash of geopolitical poles. As for funding from the budget, I consider it a bribe, and one cannot please one part of our society at the expense of another. this does not have a long life.

The authorities are harming Armenian exporters with their behavior, they will finance them now, but after the elections they will again face the “old trough”. I would urge our exporters to realize that they will suffer because of the incompetent policy of the authorities,” Hayk Farmanyan.

According to him, the government does not offer anything other than compensation to Armenian producers, it only makes statements. The government has mixed the political agendas with the economic agenda, as a result of which the producer and exporter of agricultural products suffers.

“I repeat, in order to export Armenian products to Europe, they must first have a demand, it is not the case that an ordinary European needs our products. Now, for example, they want to export flowers to Latvia, look at the logistics, its cost is so high that it has no life in the future. Today, the government is solving a short-term problem in order to please exporters and producers of agricultural products.

Now the government of Armenia is cutting the branch on which it is sitting, it is a simple logic, there is nothing complicated,” emphasized Hayk Farmanyan.

Details in the video of 168.am

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We will elect a new leader nationally, and there are those.

There have always been such people who did not get spoiled in these situations, kept to themselves, did not change their spouses.

Just a few days before the election, there are still people looking for a leader, arguing about who should rule and how.

And those people, the main leaders of the opposition, have already said what and how they will fix it if they come.

Details in the video

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Against the background of widespread failures, Nikol Pashinyan has always been proud that he managed to ensure high growth in the economy. Let’s leave aside what it was as a result of and how much the government has to do with these increases. But what is happening in the economy recently shows that the government is also losing that trump card.

The rates of economic growth have slowed down significantly. And what is much worse, as a result of the tension in Armenian-Russian relations, the risks related to the economy and economic growth have greatly increased.

The policies implemented by the authorities have led to the fact that the economy is facing serious risks of recession. The consequences of that policy are becoming increasingly noticeable.

According to official statistics, the economic growth of Armenia in the first quarter of this year was only 4 percent.

This is the lowest growth recorded in 2021. after. 2022 it was 8.6 percent, 12.1 percent in 2023, 9.2 percent in 2024, and 5.2 percent in 2025.

In the structure of the economy trade and services had the largest share, reaching almost 68 percent of GDP. Industry incl՝ energy had a share of only 16-17 percent.

Agriculture has been declining again, as a result of which not only the volume of agricultural products has decreased, but also the weight of agriculture in the economy. It provided only 3.1 percent of GDP, instead of 3.6 percent of the previous year.

The weight of the processing industry also decreased, dropping from 7.8 percent last year to 7.7 percent.

The financial sector, which has had a significant impact on economic growth in recent years, has entered the recession phase. The decline was 13 percent, as a result of which the weight of that sector in the economy decreased.

The share of information technologies also decreased, from 7.1 to 6.9 percent.

Trade, as always, contributed the most to the 4 percent economic growth recorded in the first quarter, followed by industry, due to the expansion of subsoil exploitation in particular. The contribution of construction was about 0.7 percent, and agriculture had a negative contribution.

As in the previous few years, the influence of external factors continued to be felt on the economy. But it is gradually weakening, which is increasingly noticeable on the economic growth rates. Recently, these trends have been accompanied by much more dangerous phenomena that threaten to collapse the economy. The reckless steps and statements of the Armenian authorities have led to the fact that our economy faced the problem of losing the market of Russia, a key member of the EAEU, and seriously jeopardizing economic relations with that country.

You don’t understand what the hopes of the Armenian authorities rushing to the EU are on. Regardless of the authorities, the victim will be the economy and the people.

Businessmen are already feeling the direct damage of that policy.

Although it is not stated openly, it is nevertheless obvious that the economy of Armenia, which is small and highly dependent on the Russian market, is involved in an economic war with Russia, so to speak. A war which is one-sided and against which Armenia has no resources. Taking into account the unfriendly steps of the Armenian authorities, Russia has started to apply economic sanctions to the import of Armenian products.

From May 22, the import of flowers was limited, as a result of which many greenhouse farms faced the fact of losing the result of their work. The market of flowers exported from Armenia is mainly Russia. And such restrictions are a serious blow for businessmen operating in that business sector. It was announced that there are quality problems not only with flowers, but also with vegetables and fruits. The mass export of fruits may not have started yet, but the export of vegetables is already at risk.

After several warnings and restrictions, the import and sale of “Jermuk” in the Russian market was banned.

The sale of non-alcoholic beverages imported from Armenia, produced by various companies, was also suspended.

If it happens that this situation deepens and includes not only the chain of exports, but also the chain of imports, everything will be much more difficult.

Against the background of restrictions on the import of some Armenian products, recently there have been frequent rumors and hints about the increase in the price of Russian gas supplied to Armenia. It is not difficult to imagine what effect the increase in gas prices will have on the economy. Especially since today there is no alternative to it. No one is ready to supply gas to Armenia at such a price as it is supplied to Armenia within the framework of the advantages provided by EAEU.

Even if we ignore the unwanted developments taking place in one of the main markets for producers and the possible risks related to the import of some strategic goods, the existing tension in the Armenian-Russian economic relations alone is enough for the economic processes in Armenia to appear in a canned state. Statements by the authorities regarding the possibility of using new railway junctions are hopeless attempts to alleviate the situation. We are talking about both the Azeri and the Akhalkalak-Kars railway, regarding which Nikol Pashinyan hastened to give a “wink” to the business, considering it a great event in the life of our economy.

In fact, nothing, and even more so, is not a big event, it is just a figment of Nikol Pashinyan’s imagination. Akhalkalak-Kars will become as much as Azerbaijan’s railway has become the salvation of Armenia’s economy and exports. Even if we theoretically consider that Akhalkalak-Kars is a new export route to Europe, the economy cannot realize this opportunity, because the economy does not have such a potential to enter the European markets. Moreover, it will not have the time when it loses its competitiveness even more due to the increase in the prices of energy carriers.

HAKOB KOCHARYAN

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Political scientist Arman Grigoryan, professor of Lehigh University, USA, writes on his Facebook page. “This election is about one thing. or Armenia finally and firmly enlists in the war waged by the West against Russia, or renounces such an intention. The rest is to distract and confuse you.

If you elect Nikol Pashinyan and his satellite parties, you assume the responsibility of making Armenia a participant in that war.

If you don’t want to take that responsibility, don’t elect CP and the satellites of that political force.

Sunday’s election is not a choice between the peace agenda and the rejection of the peace agenda, as the hoodlums define it. In fact, nothing will increase the probability of making Armenia the scene of a new war as much as choosing these forces. Peace is not a goal for them.

For them, peace is a pre-election slogan, with which they psychologically terrorize the traumatized society. Don’t give in to that terror.”

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Today, June 5, 2026 ends. the pre-election campaign for the June 7 National Assembly election. 168TVcontinues to closely monitor the general situation around the campaign and the developments taking place. On topic 168 TVof Revue the guest of the program political scientist Hrant Mikayelyan։

Full interview in the video.

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Narek and Samvel Karapetyan delivered a special message.

“Today, the time has come for us to fulfill our most recent promise. We wanted to tell you about this promise at the very end, because it is the most interesting for poverty alleviation.

No poor family in Armenia will pay for electricity or water. In return, these payments will be made by the Poverty Alleviation Fund, where our partners, the Armenians of the Diaspora, will make an investment,” said Narek Karapetyan, a member of the coordinating board of the “Strong Armenia” party.

The latter noted that this step will finally overcome the most difficult problem, poverty, and people will not have to give their last money for electricity and water.

Chairman of the “Strong Armenia” party, national philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan also mentioned that he guarantees this and all the programs presented during these months.

“I want to thank our people for supporting us during these months. I want to thank tens of thousands of our people who gathered in Republic Square and are fighting to remove this evil power from our country.

I call on our people: give us those 5 minutes at the polling station, we will give you a prosperous life and a strong Armenia,” said Samvel Karapetyan.

Vote for #3!

You deserve a change…”

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Edgar Ghazaryan and Davit Sargsyan of the “Erku front” podcast in the next edition, they discuss the pre-election campaign for the June 7 national elections, the administration’s use of total lies, the continuous obsession with keeping the Armenian people in fear, terror, and intimidation, Pashinyan’s insatiable desire to reproduce at any cost, and also the effectiveness of the opposition’s steps and the possible outcomes of the vote.

Details in the video

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