ArmInfo. Imprisoned businessman and leader of the "Prosperous Armenia" party, Gagik Tsarukyan, has highlighted the critical role of private enterprise in the country's development while warning of growing vulnerabilities in external export markets. In a statement posted on his social media page, Tsarukyan cautioned that Armenian goods are rapidly losing their footing abroad and being replaced by Azerbaijani alternatives.
Reflecting on his personal path from founding a small enterprise to navigating historical economic crises, Tsarukyan emphasized that the domestic business community has been a core pillar of Armenia's resilience since independence. However, he stressed that maintaining a foothold in foreign markets requires constant effort, trust, and proactive adaptation.
"The business class has played an exceptional role in the formation, success, and development of the Republic of Armenia - from the very beginning of independence, through the enormous difficulties of the 1990s: the blockade, dangerous roads, the collapse of the economic system, the financial crisis, the war. Thanks in large part to the talent, hard work, and patriotism of our businessmen, Armenia has withstood the trials and embarked on the path of development. Our businessmen are achieving incredible success in various parts of the world, and enjoy respect and authority. I have publicly stated many times that small and medium businesses are the foundation of Armenia. The stronger this class is, the more opportunities it has for development, the stronger our country will be. And the task of the state is to support this segment with the right economic policy. I have also said that creating a business can take years, requiring many years of hard work, but its collapse can happen in a matter of minutes. Months, if not weeks. I want to talk specifically about foreign, export markets. In today's world, no one waits for anyone else. Finding a market and adapting is an extremely difficult task. Product quality and price are certainly important, but personal connections, trust, and established relationships are also crucial. Many of our exporters are currently facing serious problems. It's a big mistake to think these problems will somehow be resolved and that Armenian exporters will return to their traditional markets. Time moves on in business. I warn you, it's not that simple. Others are already taking our place in the market. They don't even hide it; they do it publicly and demonstratively. Many Armenian goods are now being replaced by Azerbaijani ones. I spoke about this process a month or two ago," Tsarukyan noted.
He added that there are no permanent markets. If this continues, if the problems aren't resolved, tomorrow Armenian cognacs, wines, vodka, cheeses, fish, agricultural produce, flowers any product will be replaced by products from producers in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Uzbekistan, and other countries. Such is life, such is the cruel law of business.
"And we must clearly understand that this is not just a problem for businessmen. The loss of the consumer market will disrupt the entire cycle. Everyone will feel the consequences of this. We have a truly talented business class. I always enjoy talking with representatives of small and medium-sized businesses. I know their concerns and problems one hundred percent. It is unbearably painful for me to see the difficulties of this class. I see problems, and many issues seriously concern me. I also see solutions that will allow us to avoid the worst. I put aside political subtexts. Inside, I am speaking as a person who is subjected to obvious injustice. All my life, in my homeland, they tried to portray me as a person who had built unfair property. What I built, I built from scratch, what I acquired was half destroyed, and I turned it into modern enterprises of the highest level. Thank God, all the facts are preserved. But now a person who had built everything from scratch, who initially had nothing but hard work and faith, and who, having gone through a very difficult path, achieved great success, also speaks about it. I understand very well how exporters and businessmen feel, whose enterprises, built from scratch with a lifetime's investment and enormous effort, are threatened with destruction. Our state rests on these people; these people are the economic foundation of our country. Their interests are the interests of the entire country; their loss is the loss of us all. The state must act keeping this in mind," the politician and businessman noted.
