Levon Kocharyan: The Armenian authorities have artificially created a problem for residents of Armenian villages engaged in agricultural production.

ArmInfo. Armenian authorities have artificially created problems for residents of Armenian villages engaged in agricultural production, without solving any of their other problems. This was stated by Levon Kocharyan, a member of parliament from the Armenia faction, in an interview with journalists after meeting with residents of villages facing a difficult situation due to Russian restrictions on Armenian produce.

According to the opposition MP, farmers at the meeting complained that Armenian authorities are not addressing the problems they have faced due to Russian restrictions, the lack of alternative markets, and the inability to earn a living. They point to ongoing problems with bus service, which prevents them from always delivering their produce to market, and even those delivered to market remain unsold for days due to a lack of demand. Villagers express bewilderment at the authorities' inaction and ask, "Why should their produce now be shipped to Europe instead of Moscow, as was previously the case?"

As the MP explained, in the context of problems with selling agricultural produce, he drew farmers' attention to the fact that if the authorities had paid due attention to these issues, residents of Armenian communities would not be facing such difficulties today. The MP expressed his conviction that the current situation is due, in part, to the deterioration of relations with Russia.

"We, as the opposition, have been warning about this for a very long time, but in response we have only been accused of 'sabotage.'" "We spoke based on the interests of our citizens," Kocharyan said, noting that he had tried to convey this message at a meeting with residents of Armenian villages.

He also recalled that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan promised to reach an agreement with the Russian side after the parliamentary elections. However, as the MP noted, this never happened. The MP also drew attention to the fact that instead of addressing the problems that had arisen, the authorities temporarily introduced subsidies. In his opinion, such measures are incapable of addressing the root causes of the current situation. The opposition leader emphasized that the primary responsibility of any government is to ensure the country's security. In his opinion, the current government has failed in this task as well.

"We are talking about a government under which the country has gone through several wars and suffered human and territorial losses. You can constantly talk about love for the people, but the government must be judged by its actions. "I don't know how much one must dislike one's own people to lead the country to the results we have today," Kocharyan added.

Speaking about the situation in rural communities, the MP noted that, above all, residents must feel safe. Otherwise, he said, people will seek safer places to live and leave their villages. "This problem concerns all villages. Even residents of communities located far from the scene of the incident cannot remain indifferent to reports that an armed Azerbaijani crossed the border and entered the home of an Armenian family. Such incidents cannot but cause concern among the population," the opposition leader asserted.

At the same time, Kocharyan noted that today each village faces its own specific problems. For example, he noted that in the Ararat region, agriculture remains one of the key issues. "We understand the serious difficulties the entire country is facing, especially our citizens engaged in agriculture and exporting their products. This applies, in particular, to peaches, apricots, and other agricultural products, the main market for which is Russia. We are facing serious problems in this area," the deputy noted.

Kocharyan believes that the authorities are directly responsible for the current situation, and the difficulties that have arisen are the result of their "senseless adventure." "This is an artificially created problem. In essence, by creating it, the authorities have not solved any other problem. They created the problem, but in return, they have done nothing to ease the burden on citizens. "As for Europe, these are all just formalities," the MP concluded.

As a reminder, on October 9, residents of the Verin Dvin community in Armenia's Ararat region blocked the Yerevan-Ashtarak highway due to problems with tomato sales after state subsidies were discontinued. This was not the first time residents had blocked the road. A similar action took place back in July of this year. The problems arose against the backdrop of Russia introducing gradual restrictions on the import of Armenian agricultural products in April. The official reason cited was sanitary and phytosanitary violations and a lack of safety oversight by authorized Armenian agencies. The real reason for the restrictions, however, is the overt anti-Russian steps taken by the Armenian leadership against the backdrop of Yerevan's course toward rapprochement with the European Union. These "sanctions" have already led to a reduction in trade turnover: in the first five months of 2026, mutual trade volumes between Armenia and Russia fell by 21.5% compared to the same period last year. Difficulties have begun in agricultural exports: due to the blockage of supplies during the summer peak season, exports of Armenian fruits, vegetables, and flowers showed a sharp drop of 74.5%. According to experts, financial losses for businesses amount to tens of millions of dollars, creating the threat of mass bankruptcy for hundreds of greenhouse and farm enterprises.