Armenia has become the center of geopolitical confrontation: Karapetyan's new statement

Arrested businessman Samvel Karapetyan, owner of the Tashir Group of Companies, has accused the Armenian authorities of turning the country into the epicenter of geopolitical confrontation. This is stated in his new statement, conveyed through his lawyers.

"Surrounded by hostile states and demonstrating exceptional political short-sightedness, they rushed to get rid of Russia. In this rush, they subjected the country to many trials, just to annoy their main ally. They began to loudly appeal to the European Union, not realizing that we were not and are not welcome there. As an alternative, they even considered the scenario of turning the country into a vilayet, not understanding that no one is going to offer them even that," the entrepreneur said.

According to Samvel Karapetyan, the Armenian authorities, begging for peace, are receiving increasingly harsh and humiliating conditions in negotiations in return.

“As a result, we risk getting 3 million new refugees scattered around the world. At the same time, they (the authorities - ed.) are sending messengers to their main ally, trying to convince him of their willingness to endure any humiliation, just so that he believes that they are ‘one of us,’” Samvel Karapetyan noted.

Today, for countries like ours, the main advantage may be the status of an honest and reliable partner that defends its own interests. The absence of this has led not to the strengthening, but to the weakening of our statehood.

Recall that Samvel Karapetyan was arrested on June 18 for two months on charges of publicly calling for the seizure of power. The criminal case was initiated after he publicly spoke out in defense of the Armenian Apostolic Church the day before against the backdrop of offensive statements by the authorities against the highest hierarchs.

Following the businessman's statement in support of the AAC, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan posted harsh comments on social media. The prime minister threatened to “rein in dissolute clergy” and their “dissolute benefactors.” Shortly thereafter, officers from the Armenian Interior Ministry's criminal police conducted a search of Karapetyan's home and detained him a few hours later.

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Moscow is closely monitoring the situation surrounding Karapetyan, given that he has Russian citizenship. The Catholicos of Echmiadzin himself also called on the authorities to stop persecuting the businessman.

In the days that followed, many prominent Armenians around the world, as well as foreign politicians, public figures, and business leaders, spoke out in support of Karapetyan.

Samvel Karapetyan implemented large-scale projects in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Kindergartens, schools, and hospitals were built with his funds.

Reprinted from https://am.sputniknews.ru/