Pashinyan is “racking his brains” over how to get re-elected in 2026 - Zatulin

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is trying to turn everyone dissatisfied with the country's economic situation against businessman Samvel Karapetyan. This was stated in an interview with RIA Novosti by Konstantin Zatulin, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs.

“Mr. Pashinyan is trying to turn everyone dissatisfied with the economic situation, which, it must be said, he himself is creating, against Karapetyan,” Zatulin said.

In his opinion, Pashinyan is “racking his brains” over how to get re-elected in June 2026, and as a new campaign, a struggle in which he intends to immerse the whole of Armenia, he has launched a fight against the Armenian Church.

"For economic reasons, Armenia under Pashinyan cannot afford to sever economic ties. Thanks to these economic ties, it is showing steady economic growth, especially during the special military operation, because it has become a hub for circumventing sanctions, because Russian relocants have moved there, opened businesses there, and invested money there. In other words, he benefits because the economy remains interconnected with Russia, but politically, Mr. Pashinyan is in a completely different place," Zatulin added.

The deputy believes that Karapetyan could become the leader of the Armenian people, and Pashinyan is effectively giving him a chance to prove himself not only as a businessman and patron, but also as a politician.

"At the same time, I would also like to draw attention to the purely human aspect. I am acquainted with Samvel Karapetyan and am confident that he is sincere when he speaks of his Christian roots and his respect for the Armenian Church. In general, the opposite — that is, disrespect for the Armenian Church for an Armenian — is, in my opinion, something extraordinary. It is a sign of moral ugliness," the parliamentarian concluded.

Samvel Karapetyan was charged and arrested in Armenia after he declared his support for the Armenian Apostolic Church amid attacks by the authorities. The businessman himself did not admit guilt and called the Armenian authorities incompetent.

Reprinted from https://news.am/