Prosperous Armenia

Prosperous Armenia
Բարգավաճ Հայաստան Կուսակցություն
LeaderGagik Tsarukyan
Founded30 April 2004
HeadquartersYerevan
Ideology
Political positionCentre-right
National affiliationHomeland Salvation Movement (2020-2021)
European affiliationAlliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (until 2022)[1][2]
Slogan"Safe, Powerful Homeland"
National Assembly
0 / 107
Website
http://www.bhk.am/

Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP; Armenian: Բարգավաճ Հայաստան կուսակցություն, romanized: Bargavach Hayastan kusakts’ut’yun, abbreviated as ԲՀԿ BHK), is a conservative political party in Armenia.[3] It was founded by businessman Gagik Tsarukyan on 30 April 2004, when the constituent congress of the party took place.[4]

Ideologically, the party is positioned as centre-right on the political spectrum,[5] it advocates economic liberalism,[6] closer ties with Russia,[7][8] and regarding the European Union it is eurosceptic,[9][10] while on social issues they are traditionalist.[6] Armenia's second president Robert Kocharyan was instrumental in creation of the party,[11] with some claiming that Kocharyan himself established it.[12] Kocharyan's influence and role in the party is a subject of debate. In 2012, "most analysts" believed Kocharyan was "closely involved in the party."[13] Some "believe that Kocharyan is the secret leader of the party",[14] while others believe he has no influence over PAP.[15]

  1. ^ "Prosperous Armenia joins AECR". Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  2. ^ @EuropeElects (22 September 2022). "Russia: Going forward, the pro-Putin Yedinaya Rossiya party will only be labelled as indirectly affiliated with EPP & ID after YeR's partner 'Prosperous Armenia' was removed from the ECR Party's membership, meaning there is no indirect affiliation between ECR & YeR anymore" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2007). "Armenia". Parties and Elections in Europe. Archived from the original on 27 August 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ Fuller, Liz (19 April 2007). "Armenia: Election Campaign Gets Off To Uneasy Start". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  5. ^ "The political framework of Armenia". Lloyds Bank.
  6. ^ a b "Armenia 2012: An introduction to the political party landscape" (PDF). European Friends of Armenia. 2012. pp. 9–10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2016.
  7. ^ Zasztowt, Konrad (9 April 2013). "Armenia between European and Eurasian Integration Models". Warsaw: Polish Institute of International Affairs. p. 1. Retrieved 8 June 2014. ...the pro-Russian party Prosperous Armenia.
  8. ^ Khachatrian, Haroutiun (9 May 2007). "Armenia and Russia Agree: Foreign Policy Change Unlikely After Elections". eurasianet.org. Open Society Institute. Archived from the original on 10 June 2007. Retrieved 31 January 2015. Prosperous Armenia Party, an avowedly pro-Russian stance.
  9. ^ Danielyan, Emil (21 March 2017). "Tsarukian Endorsed By Eurosceptic EU Politicians". azatutyun.am. RFE/RL.
  10. ^ Rowley, Thomas (24 May 2019). "Why are so many Brexiteer politicians cosying up to this Armenian oligarch?". openDemocracy.
  11. ^ Hale, Henry (2014). Patronal Politics. Cambridge University Press. p. 357. ...Prosperous Armenia was a kind of political insurance policy by Kocharian...
  12. ^ "Ashotyan: speech of Armenian president came as response to blackmail, ignorance and stupidity". ARKA News Agency. 13 February 2015. «Prosperous Armenia party was established as a political project of Robert Kocharyan, the second Armenian president, to divide the power resource and ensure the presence of the second president on the country's political arena,» Ashotyan said.
  13. ^ Harutyunyan, Vahe (14 December 2012). "Armenian Opposition Party Shuns Key Election". Institute for War and Peace Reporting.
  14. ^ "Prosperous Armenia leader undisposed to run for presidency". ARKA News Agency. 21 November 2012.
  15. ^ "Robert Kocharyan has no relation to Prosperous Armenia - Iskandaryan". news.am. 14 January 2014.