Tsarukyan Responds to Nikol Pashinyan: Those Funds Won't Be Settled by Bankers, It Will Be the Government

I am here to tell you about today’s situation, the state of the country, the economy, and the condition of our people. During his speech at a campaign rally in Gyumri on June 15, the leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party, Gagik Tsarukyan, stated: "We want to have a secure homeland and a powerful state. Until we can provide the public with jobs and manage our people’s loans and debts, it is impossible for us to aspire to a strong state. A powerful state exists when the people live a prosperous life, not when every family is struggling to get by with a few crops just to maintain their home. Each family has 2-3 loans; one loan is taken to pay off another to avoid being on the street. The penalties and fines have increased so much that people have no hope of settling them. On the other hand, there are no jobs. Therefore, I personally have calculated that loans up to 3 million drams should be forgiven. We are talking about a population of 2 million. That amounts to one billion dollars," he said.

Tsarukyan also addressed Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s reaction regarding what would happen to bankers if such a volume of loans were forgiven. "Dear people, the bankers will not settle this. If we put this on the bankers, the banker will break down, and the economy will collapse. If we come to power, the government will settle that amount immediately. We will bring in the funds. We will allocate one billion for the people’s loans, and the rest will be invested," he added.