During a speech in the National Assembly, Anna Grigoryan of the opposition "Hayastan" faction highlighted that Armenia’s national debt has doubled over the past seven years. She said the country’s debt has risen from $7 billion in 2018 to nearly $14 billion today, with 432 billion drams to be spent on debt servicing this year — nearly double the funding allocated to the healthcare sector.
“You’ve taken on massive debt. What additional value has been created for our country, something our grandchildren will benefit from?” she asked, as reported by Sputnik Armenia.
Grigoryan also criticized the government’s failure to deliver on key infrastructure promises. Of the 300 schools the authorities pledged to build, only 59 have been completed — just 33 of them entirely new, while the rest were reconstructions. She said only one of the 15 promised reservoirs, the Vedi reservoir, was completed — and that project began in 2016, under the previous administration.
She claimed that despite doubling the national debt, the current government has added no strategic infrastructure. Referencing the long-promised Ajapnyak metro station, she said government promises resemble the station itself — “something often discussed, but still non-existent — like peace and democracy.”
Grigoryan also cited a decline in foreign direct investment, stating that net inflows have dropped by $155 million, a sign of worsening investment conditions. “In reality, foreign capital is fleeing. Who would invest here, when businesses are seized in broad daylight? You call taxpayers heroes, but under that slogan, you extort them. You don’t treat them as heroes — just as fine-paying material,” she said, accusing the government of conducting “tax terror,” especially against those with opposition views.
She also presented figures on gambling, claiming the total value of bets placed in Armenia jumped from 422 billion drams in 2018 to 7.2 trillion drams in 2024 — a rise she says was encouraged by current authorities.
Turning to political and social issues, she cited the loss of Artsakh and the arrests of senior clergy. Her speech was ultimately cut short by National Assembly Deputy Speaker Hakob Arshakyan, who turned off her microphone as she continued listing grievances.
