Armenian Prime Minister accuses Samvel Karapetyan's ENA of causing the country's energy crisis
YEREVAN, June 18. /ARKA/. The Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) power distribution company (owned by Russia-based bilionaire of Armenian origin Samvel Karapetyan) has practically created an energy crisis in the country with the aim of generating discontent among the public, o Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan argued today.
“A month ago, I instructed a number of government members to introduce a mechanism for compensating citizens for the damage caused by ENA... This company must be nationalized, that is, become a state-owned facility ,” Pashinyan said at a press briefing on Wednesday.
The prime minister said that the deadline for his instructions is June 21.
"And the intensification of all this is directly related to my instructions. As a result of its activities, ENA has almost created an energy crisis in the country, and analysis suggests that all this was and is being done to generate internal public discontent. The church, in this case for the former owners of ENA, is simply a smokescreen," Pashinyan said.
Speaking about the nationalization of ENA, Pashinyan noted that this issue can be resolved most quickly and effectively in the National Assembly.
“Currently, the Civil Contract faction, together with experts, is discussing the possibility of submitting a bill on the nationalization of ENA to parliament,” the prime minister said.
Samvel Karapetyan, president of Tashir Group, is accused of “public calls to seize power” in Armenia. He was detained last night at his mansion in Yerevan.
A few hours earlier, Karapetyan visited the Catholicos of All Armenians in Echmiadzin in connection with the Armenian authorities' attacks on some of the high-ranking clergy and expressed his support to the Patriarch. He said that the current unacceptable situation would be resolved through the participation of political figures. “If politicians fail, we will participate in our own way,” Karapetyan said.
After that, Pashinyan published several posts on social media concerning Karapetyan. On Wednesday, he warned of his intention to respond harshly to Karapetyan's words, expressing confidence that they concerned “not the Church, the interests of the Church, but the Republic of Armenia.”-0-
