Armenian premier reveals government`s plans involving ENA 

ArmInfo. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, speaking at the 7th Congress of the ruling Civil Contract Party on September 20, instructed "diaspora billionaire emissaries" on how to conduct themselves in Armenia and also announced the government's plans for Electric Networks of Armenia CJSC.

"We tell the diaspora billionaire emissaries: you can conduct  yourself in Armenia the same way you conduct yourself in your country  of residence, and not one iota more. The Republic of Armenia is not a  yacht or a plane for you to come and say, 'Wrap it up, we'll take  it.' If someone gets that idea in their head, the Republic of Armenia  will wrap you up and place you in an appropriate place so that the  taste of the Republic of Armenia remains in your mouth," he stated.

According to the Prime Minister, experience shows that in a  democratic country, "velvet methods" alone are not always effective;  sometimes surgical intervention is required. These include the  process initiated with regard to the Electric Grids, which, contrary  to all illusions, is irreversible and undeniable, he continued.

The process, he explained, will proceed according to several  scenarios. The first is that the Electric Grids are nationalized and  transferred to reliable private management, while remaining fully  state-owned. The second is that a controlling stake in the company is  transferred to a reputable international energy manager.  "In any  case, the Republic of Armenia will retain a stake sufficient to  ensure the government's strategic presence in this vital  infrastructure," Pashinyan said.

The authorities will resort to the second scenario only if it becomes  clear that the costs under the first scenario are disproportionately  large for the state budget.

He added that the cases of fraud uncovered at the ENA during its  previous management are sufficient to justify concerns regarding the  previous management period. "Even during my visits to the regions, I  became convinced that poor-quality electricity supplies were a way to  stir up political discontent against the government. We will not  allow such games to be played with the Republic of Armenia. Let  everyone take this to heart and draw their own conclusions,"  Pashinyan stated.

As a reminder, on June 17, 2025, Samvel Karapetyan gave an interview  to a media outlet in which he expressed his concerns about the harsh  campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church. Specifically, in the  interview, which lasted just over one minute, when asked what his  opinion was regarding the campaign against the Armenian Church, the  well-known businessman replied: "What opinion should I have if a  small group, forgetting the history of Armenia, the thousand-year  history of the Armenian Church, attacked the Church, the Armenian  people? Since I have always been close to the Armenian Church and the  people, I will be directly involved. If the politicians fail, we will  participate in all of this in our own way."

Immediately after the publication of Karapetyan's interview,  Pashinyan made several posts on social media, including the  following: "Why have the lustful clergy and their lustful benefactors  become more active? No matter, we will deactivate them again." And  forever,

As a result, Samvel Karapetyan was detained on the night of June 18th  in Yerevan by Armenian law enforcement agencies. On the night of June  19th, the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction remanded Karapetyan  in custody for two months. He is being held in the Yerevan-Kentron  penitentiary (the notorious KGB basement in the Armenian National  Security Service building). He is accused of publicly calling for a  takeover of power in the country. Karapetyan denies the charges.  Furthermore, in July, the head of the Tashir Group of Companies was  charged with new money laundering. On August 15, early in the  morning, after nearly 10 hours of considering the investigator's  motion, the Anti-Corruption Court extended Karapetyan's detention.

On July 18, by decision of the head of the Public Services Regulatory  Commission (PSRC), Romanos Petrosyan was appointed as the interim  manager of ESA as part of the administrative proceedings and  preventive measures against Elseti. Petrosyan's appointment came amid  Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statements regarding the possible  nationalization of Electric Networks of Armenia, which is owned by  the Tashir Group of Companies.

On July 22, Samvel Karapetyan, head of the Tashir Group of Companies  (previously arrested after expressing public support for the Armenian  Apostolic Church), and his family won an arbitration dispute against  the Armenian government over the nationalization of the ENA. However,  the Armenian government, interpreting the decision of the Arbitration  Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce in its own way, stated  that "the scope of the issues (dispute) considered in the urgent case  differs from the purposes of the decision to appoint an interim  manager and the scope of actions that the latter must take." "While  respecting the interim measures applied by foreign arbitration  awards, everyone is simultaneously obliged to be guided by the  legislation of the Republic of Armenia and international treaties  establishing the rules and procedures for the recognition and  enforcement of arbitration awards," the Armenian cabinet said in a  statement. Romanos Petrosyan, interim manager of the ENA, in turn,  noted that the arbitration award will acquire legal force in Armenia  only after a corresponding court decision and, on July 24, began  making personnel changes in the management of Elnetsy Armenia. RA  Minister of Justice Srbuhi Galyan, in turn, noted that the decision  of the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce,  rendered in favor of Samvel Karapetyan in the arbitration case  against Armenia, is not subject to mandatory enforcement if it is  contrary to public order. She also assured that Samvel Karapetyan  will receive compensation in the event of nationalization of the ENA.