ANC candidate presents key points of election program 

ArmInfo.  Levon Zurabyan, Deputy Chairman of the Armenian National Congress (ANC), nominated by the political party for Prime Minister of Armenia, presented the key  pillars of his party's election platform.

In an interview with journalists, Zurabyan explained that the main  goal of the ANC's platform is to improve the lives of every citizen,  including members of minorities. He expressed his conviction that all  Armenians want a secure country, the opportunity to create freely,  and to find decent work to ensure the well-being of their families.  The ANC Deputy Chairman highlighted security as the top priority of  his political party, noting that a strategy for ensuring it will form  the foundation of their platform.

In this vein, Zurabyan noted the strategic importance for Armenia of  the construction of the North-South International Transport Corridor  (INSTC) railway project, including from the perspective of ensuring  peace. "This is a program that can lead to real peace. Unlike the  so-called 'Trump route,' which has numerous shortcomings and leads to  a clash of geopolitical interests, making Armenia dependent on  Azerbaijan," Zurabyan emphasized.

At the same time, as the ANC deputy chairman noted, at least 160,000  Armenian citizens will benefit from the North-South project, since,  according to him, this route will facilitate business activity and  could become a global transit route independent of Azerbaijan and  Turkey.

In the area of foreign policy, Zurabyan proposed a new model that  would restore Armenia's role on the international stage. "We will not  allow the West and Russia to wage war on Armenian territory. We are  an independent country, not a battlefield. In this regard, we intend  to propose the adoption of legislation on friendly countries, which  will provide benefits to states without hostile intentions toward  Armenia," the ANC deputy chairman explained. Regarding the economy,  Zurabyan noted the need to shift from a model of serving external  producers to supporting domestic businesses. In this regard, he  announced his intention to improve the country's tax system,  including eliminating the profit tax and abolishing the property tax.

At the same time, speaking about the country's problems, Zurabyan  noted that the most pressing issue is the outflow of professional  personnel from Armenia. In this regard, he announced his intention to  create preferential conditions for the return of specialists and to  restore vocational schools, as well as the Ministry of Agriculture.  "Furthermore, we intend to create a Ministry of Water Resources  Management, as this is one of Armenia's most important strategic  resources, which is currently facing serious problems," Zurabyan  noted.

The politician also announced his intention to fund research and  development and promote the country's integration into international  processes, such as the crypto industry, if he comes to power. "We  will also create a data warehouse that will help make sound decisions  and develop strategies for the government.  Furthermore, a mechanism  for the expert use of artificial intelligence will be introduced into  management processes. Thus, technological development will become a  driver not only of economic growth, but also of security,  strengthening the military, and coordination in education, medicine,  architecture, and the arts," Zurabyan emphasized.

Regarding air pollution, he announced his intention to develop  ecological and ecotourism. "We will present Armenian agricultural  products as the most environmentally friendly; this should become our  brand. To clean the air, we intend to close polluting mines and  eliminate landfills, replacing them with waste processing plants.  Building codes will be strict, and restrictions based on  environmental criteria will be introduced in the mining industry,"  the ANC deputy chairman noted. Efforts, he said, will also be aimed  at improving the political environment in Armenia. He argued that the  state must become inclusive, where everyone has the opportunity to  work and develop, regardless of their relationship with the  government. To this end, Zurabyan noted, their political force  proposes returning to a semi-presidential system of government and  ending experiments with leadership models.

"All this will contribute to ensuring security. We will also restore  democracy and political freedom, release political prisoners, and  stop attacks on the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC)," he stated.   Finally, the politician announced plans to cancel government programs  that have no future, such as the Academic City and community  consolidation. Regarding the latter, he expressed readiness to  restore self- government in villages.