PM: threats to Armenia won’t be tolerated

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, commenting on developments surrounding Russian-Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan, said the latter’s recent statement “was not about the Church, but about the Republic of Armenia,” according to Radar.am .

“I won’t tolerate anyone daring to say such a thing. I strongly advise everyone to watch their words. No one can threaten the Republic of Armenia,” he declared.

Pashinyan stated that while Armenia remains a democratic country where citizens are free to express opinions and participate in public life, any threats to the state will be met with the harshest measures.

The Prime Minister claimed that Karapetyan’s remarks had no connection to the Church’s interests and were instead an attempt to imply that external actors could interfere in Armenia’s affairs.

He added that one month ago, he instructed cabinet members to ensure residents are compensated for damages caused by the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA). The deadline for this directive is June 21.

“I directly link this ‘activation’ [of Karapetyan] to that instruction. Government members began demanding accountability from ENA—calculating damages inflicted on citizens and public or private institutions. During a visit to Lori, I found places without electricity or with constant outages. That’s unacceptable,” Pashinyan said.

He accused ENA’s current owners of pushing the country to the brink of an energy crisis, adding that the Church’s mention is a mere “smokescreen” for their interests.

According to Sputnik Armenia, Pashinyan said Karapetyan’s recent activity followed his directive, linking the developments to decisions involving ENA.

He also revealed that a bill to nationalize ENA is already in circulation in the National Assembly. “Everything will proceed within the law. Whether this process links to criminal cases is a separate issue,” he concluded.

On the night of June 18, businessman Samvel Karapetyan left his Yerevan residence with law enforcement. Hours earlier, he had expressed public support for the Armenian Apostolic Church.

“I stand with our Church and our people. No matter how much they try to tarnish it—neither the power grid nor those behind it matter to me. Everything will be fine, and the people will speak up. They will realize their mistake,” Karapetyan had said.

In response, Pashinyan wrote: “Why have the whorish ‘clergy’ and their whorish ‘benefactors’ become active again? No matter—we’ll silence them again. For good this time.” He later added that ENA must be rapidly nationalized.