Narek Karapetyan, head of the “Strong Armenia” opposition parliamentary faction, said that any transport, logistics, or electricity transmission infrastructure passing through Armenian territory must have Armenia’s consent and provide economic benefits to the country.

Karapetyan was asked to comment on the TRIPP project and statements made by the President of Azerbaijan regarding it.

Earlier on Tuesday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, speaking about the TRIPP project in an interview, appeared to once again mislabel it as the “Zangezur Corridor,” a term to which Yerevan has long objected because it could imply extraterritoriality, which the agreements do not provide for.

The Azerbaijani president also stated that, within the framework of TRIPP, the project for an electricity transmission line from Azerbaijan’s mainland through Armenian territory to Nakhchivan is ready. According to him, based on analyses conducted by Azerbaijani specialists, potential locations for installing electricity poles in Armenian territory have already been identified.

Narek Karapetyan stressed that TRIPP is a route through Armenia’s sovereign territory and that no country has the right to call it a “corridor.”

“If they want to build electricity transmission lines through Armenian territory, they should pay us for it. Let them pay and build them if they want to. Our country must benefit from this. They must pay after obtaining Armenia’s consent,” Karapetyan said.

According to the lawmaker, this principle should apply to any infrastructure passing through Armenian territory.

“If any country—from the south, north, east, or west—wants to build any transport, logistics, or electricity transmission line through Armenian territory, it must pay our state and our people for it. I am only aware of the Azerbaijani president’s statement that they are proposing transit through Armenia and are waiting for a response from the Armenian leadership,” Karapetyan said.

The annual “Gutan” National Traditional Armenian Song and Dance Festival will take place at the Cafesjian Center for the Arts’ Sculpture Garden (Cascade) in Yerevan on August 22 at 7 p.m., at the initiative of the “Mrro” Armenian National Arts Center.

This year’s festival is dedicated to the 60th birthday of Gagik Ginosyan, a distinguished artist of the Republic of Armenia and prominent figure in dance.

Over the years, the “Gutan” Festival has become one of the most important cultural initiatives aimed at preserving and promoting national song and dance, bringing together leading groups and artists from Armenia and the diaspora on one platform.

This year, 26 groups will participate in the festival, with more than 500 artists performing on stage.

One of the festival’s most impressive and symbolic moments is the opening ceremony, during which all participants perform together. Hundreds of artists dressed in traditional costumes create a unique spectacle, turning the stage into a living Armenian carpet symbolizing the unity and continuity of Armenian culture.

As part of the “Gutan” Festival, short films are also produced and screened, showcasing the lives, work and rich cultural heritage of prominent figures in Armenian song and dance.

The festival is held annually outdoors in Yerevan. In keeping with tradition, it will again take place this year at the Cafesjian Sculpture Garden.

Another important component of the festival is a series of interactive pre-festival concerts held in Yerevan’s administrative districts and in rural communities across Armenia.

The opposition Hayastan (Armenia) faction said it will boycott the confirmation vote on MP Arusyak Julhakyan’s nomination as chair of the parliamentary Committee on State and Legal Affairs, nominated by the ruling Civil Contract faction.

“The Hayastan faction will not participate in the vote on Arusyak Julhakyan’s candidacy, just as we do not participate in votes on other candidates nominated by the authorities,” Hayastan MP Anna Grigoryan said during the plenary session.

The opposition Strong Armenia faction in Armenia’s parliament has nominated Hayk Farmanyan as its candidate for chair of the Committee on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs.

Faction leader Narek Karapetyan announced the nomination during Wednesday’s plenary session.

Opposition Strong Armenia MP Hayk Farmanyan, a candidate for chair of the parliament’s Committee on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs, has said that the state budget does not belong to anyone, including the Government, and that ensuring its effective management should be a priority for all lawmakers.

“The Standing Committee on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs is one of the few committees where, regardless of political differences and disagreements, I am confident that there will be an atmosphere of consensus. There is one red line: the state budget of the Republic of Armenia and the money paid by taxpayers. The state budget does not belong to anyone, including the Government. I believe that any measure or bill aimed at improving the efficiency of state budget management should be treated with a high level of responsibility by every member of parliament,” Farmanyan said during a plenary session at a confirmation hearing.

He emphasized that the effective use of budgetary funds should be ensured through parliamentary oversight.

“Behind every figure in the budget—every million and every billion—there is a specific stakeholder, and first and foremost, that is the taxpayer of the Republic of Armenia. Behind those figures are sweat and the results of people’s labor, and we are obliged to ensure parliamentary oversight aimed at the effective management of state budget funds,” the candidate noted.

Farmanyan also expressed concern over the increase in public debt, stressing the importance of continuously monitoring the purpose of borrowing and the efficiency with which borrowed funds are used.

“I believe that through 24/7 parliamentary oversight, we should be able to answer three fundamental questions: Why are we taking on debt? In what areas will we spend it? And what will the citizen of the Republic of Armenia gain from it? Public debt in itself is neither good nor bad. It becomes bad when the expenditures financed through it are not directed toward capital investments that can ensure sufficient economic growth. If elected, this will be under our strict oversight,” Farmanyan emphasized.

In his speech, the lawmaker also highlighted the importance of establishing a fair and predictable tax system, improving customs administration, assessing the effectiveness of state subsidies, and transforming the structure of the economy. He assured that he was ready to support bills that serve the interests of the country, regardless of the political affiliation of their authors.

A lawmaker representing the ruling Civil Contract faction has said that energy trade should not be an exception to Armenia-Azerbaijan bilateral trade.

Arman Yeghoyan, a member of the Civil Contract parliamentary faction, was asked at a press briefing to comment on the possibility of supplying electricity from Azerbaijan to Armenia.

“As for importing and exporting energy resources or energy in general, the more open routes and the more opportunities there are to import and export energy and energy resources from different sources, the more beneficial it is for Armenia. Importing gas and oil, exporting electricity—the energy exchange, trade, buying and selling of energy, just like all other goods and services, of course, should not be an exception to bilateral trade. For example, we have a surplus of electricity, and during certain seasons we even look for ways to consume it. As you know, we export electricity to Iran and Georgia,” Yeghoyan said.

On August 11, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in an interview with Azerbaijani television in Nakhchivan, claimed that Azerbaijani specialists had identified potential locations in Armenia for installing electricity transmission poles. He emphasized that this was done as part of preparations to build power transmission lines through Armenian territory within the framework of the TRIPP project. He also stated that if the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant were to be shut down, Armenia could face an energy crisis, while the planned transmission line through Armenia to Nakhchivan could also become an additional source of energy for Armenia.

A joint statement issued by the United States, Armenia, and Azerbaijan on August 10 states that the three countries support the construction of a power transmission line as part of TRIPP. However, the document does not mention a separate agreement on supplying electricity from Azerbaijan to Armenia.

Strong Armenia will seek to use its leadership of the parliamentary Committee on European Integration to push for greater trade with Europe and deeper adoption of European institutions, faction leader Narek Karapetyan said.

The faction is entitled to nominate its candidate for the committee chairmanship.

“We are going to intensify the working process and show the public that we are genuinely seeking diversification. Genuine diversification means increasing trade turnover with Europe and localizing European institutions.

“We will work actively so that the public can see that the claim that we support improving relations with only one side is incorrect,” he said, referring to Strong Armenia’s perceived pro-Russia stance.

He denied allegations that it chose this particular committee to nominate a chairman in order to undermine its work. 

“We believe Armenia should have several partners so that its economy is stable. That is why you will see the pace at which we will work in this committee,” Karapetyan said.

According to him, a candidate for the committee chairmanship has already been selected, but the name will not be announced yet.

“We will not say at this point. Most likely, it will be tomorrow, and I will present the candidate to you tomorrow,” the faction leader said.

Responding to a question about the strategy for selecting the committee’s leadership, Karapetyan emphasized the importance of using its members’ professional experience to advance Armenia’s national interests on European platforms as well.

“The institutional experience and presence of the committee members should also help advance our national issues on European platforms. We need people who are ready to work every day and finally activate the committee.

“We say that the country has a pro-European direction, but trade turnover is dozens of times lower than with the EAEU. We are not adopting good European institutions. We take only the name, the brand, and the marketing, but we do not adopt the important components, such as the independence of the judiciary and the protection and development of civil society,” Karapetyan said.

Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan held a meeting on Wednesday with Li Xinwei, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Armenia.

The Ambassador congratulated Ruben Rubinyan on his election as Speaker of Parliament.

According to a readout from the Speaker’s office, the sides noted with satisfaction that relations between Armenia and China are developing at the level of a strategic partnership. They discussed issues related to further deepening interparliamentary relations and expanding cooperation.

The sides also emphasized the importance of developing cooperation in various fields and expanding opportunities for cooperation in new areas.

Narek Karapetyan, head of the “Strong Armenia” opposition parliamentary faction, has rejected Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s claim that Armenia could face an energy crisis following the closure of its nuclear power plant.

Armenia plans to replace its Metsamor nuclear power plant with a modular one when the current plant’s operational lifecycle ends in 2036.

Aliyev, in an interview about the TRIPP project, claimed that the planned electricity transmission line through Armenian territory to Nakhchivan could become an additional source of energy for Armenia.

Commenting on Aliyev’s statement, Narek Karapetyan stressed that Armenia has several options for building a new nuclear power plant.

Karapetyan said that more than one partner has submitted relevant proposals.

“There are proposals that would allow us to build a new nuclear power plant, as a result of which the country would have access to cheap electricity. We have two or three good options, so I think neighboring countries have nothing to worry about. Our country certainly has the ability to build a new nuclear power plant. More than one partner is offering terms under which it could be built,” Karapetyan said.

According to him, Armenia has a surplus of electricity during daytime hours, partly due to the development of solar energy.

“In terms of solar energy, Armenia is among the more developed countries. Overall, investment in Armenia’s energy sector has been very high. I think you know which company has been responsible for making these investments so substantial. The Tashir Group of Companies has been actively involved in one of the strongest and most competitive sectors of the energy industry. I worked there before entering the National Assembly,” he noted.

Karapetyan added that Armenia could export electricity generated from solar energy during the daytime, but the issue that arises at night requires additional thermal generation capacity.

“Thermal power plants cannot be connected to the grid quickly; they need several hours. Therefore, we cannot simply have a thermal power plant switch on immediately at, say, 6 p.m. Before entering the National Assembly, I was involved in a project to establish a special thermal power plant that would operate during nighttime hours. Electricity generated from solar energy would be exported during the day, while at night, a thermal power plant running on gas imported from Iran would be brought online,” Karapetyan said.

The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 12 August, USD exchange rate down by 0.16 drams to 365.91 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.19 drams to 422.04 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.0073 drams to 4.4144 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.45 drams to 494.53 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 671 drams to 51567 drams.