Tsarukyan: I said at the NSS that you will have to answer to the people and God

“Prosperous Armenia” party leader Gagik Tsarukyan, referring to his well-known demand for the government’s complete resignation on June 5, 2020, during an expanded meeting of the party's political council, and his prediction of a rather sad outlook for Armenia, as well as the subsequent criminal prosecution against him, stated: “I have always spoken the truth, what I analyze, what I see. As far as the political realm or any other reality goes, I analyze that and keep people informed. I live in this country, interact with all sectors, and monitor the negotiations, meetings, and social, economic, and political situations. What I analyze and present is true. It has been about 20 years that I am in politics, and there hasn't been a single instance where what I said did not correspond with reality. My desire is for the state to be strong, the economy to develop, the people's situation to be prosperous, so that my children's future is also bright.” This was reported by “Hraparak”.

In response to the observation that there were no signals of such trends in the summer of 2020, Tsarukyan stated that he expects negative developments in this area as well. He noted: “What is peace, if you look at it, there is a war in Tavush, a general is being hit, and Turkey is already coming to conduct military exercises in Artsakh? It is clear that analysis is needed. If I can analyze and present that we have 3-4 months to prepare and negotiate, and instead, I am being arrested so that I don't speak out and present the reality, and they take no steps, and the war starts, claiming it was unexpected. If I can present an analysis, doesn’t the entire state system need to prepare its own analyses? How is it going to be? I say that the day of my arrest, I was right next to the NSS building. Regardless of everything, I say what I say, and I will keep saying it—I am not afraid of arrest or anything else. I live in this country, and what matters to me is my country, my people, my state’s strength. Let’s say that on the day of my arrest, I didn’t even go to court because I knew they would arrest me for a decision. I went and said, ‘Open the doors, I have come.’ If you think you can solve any problem by arresting me, no issue will be resolved. Not the social situation of the people, nor the economy, nor the Artsakh issue. You will have to answer to the people and God. I said and I will continue to say, ‘Open the doors.’”

In response to the remark that Tsarukyan’s pre-war detention measure was changed, and during the war, it seemed that Pashinyan had abandoned this approach, he said: “I am not interested in that, let them do what they want. I say what I see and what I think. For me, the most important thing is the state, the economy, the country, the people, and for any citizen, for any person or political figure, the most important thing is their people, their state. Strengthening the state is crucial, as a strong state is taken into account, and a mature person, a patriotic person, someone who has seen the world desires to live in a strong country. And whatever means I have, I should use them to strengthen that state, to develop it, to improve the people's lives. Regardless of everything, whether we have been in opposition or not, you can follow that I have done everything possible. I have brought investors, kings, sheikhs, and wealthy individuals from Italy, Spain, France, Egypt, etc., so that people come, invest money, and implement programs, enabling the state to develop fully.”

According to Tsarukyan, the main issue today is to increase the budget funds. “Not people... whoever comes says, ‘I will raise pensions, I will increase salaries.’ We ask, ‘How are you going to raise them? If the budget allowed it, any leader would have raised them.’ There must be a program that we implement where we put money into reserves, ensuring that there are jobs, and that we can export and sell. The income tax, the profit tax will increase the budget by 1 billion. With 1 billion additional funds, this quarter will be like this, this half-year will be like that; I will allocate this money so that 30 percent of that 1 billion goes to pensions, and 30 percent goes to raising salaries. It should be clear today that the person doesn’t just recite something learned by heart, pre-prepared, beautifully written, but can fully, fundamentally present and prove the development, the future. So that the person can have hope, see that, yes, there is a chance.”