Detained businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan has issued a statement outlining the priorities of the Our Way movement.
According to him, the movement has set several major goals: protecting spiritual values, building a new economy, creating numerous jobs quickly, ensuring dynamic agricultural development, and more. Preserving the traditional Armenian family and guaranteeing its welfare is central among these objectives, and he stressed that solutions will be found.
“There is no greater success for a nation and a state than to have many large families with healthy, educated children, ready to build a strong future. Sadly, the number of such families in Armenia today is extremely low, and the demographic indicators are catastrophic. We must do everything possible to overcome this dangerous situation,” Karapetyan said.
He stressed that young families should be able to maintain their health and reproductive well-being without risking financial ruin. The state, he argued, must cover the costs of every newborn child together with parents, which would seriously encourage higher birth rates.
Karapetyan also underlined that young families must be supported in improving housing conditions, while parents should benefit from employment and education-related incentives. Elderly citizens, he added, must have access to healthcare without fear of burdening their families financially.
“We have already attempted such programs on a smaller scale. The movement is working to find comprehensive solutions to these issues and will implement them in the near future. We will do it — in our way,” the statement concludes.
*On June 18, Karapetyan was arrested for two months and transferred to the Armavir penitentiary on charges of “public calls aimed at seizing the powers of the government.” Hours before his detention, he had expressed support for the Armenian Apostolic Church.*
