Analyst: West offers Samvel Karapetyan a deal through Stockholm court ruling

Hayk Ayvazyan, head of the Luys Information and Analytical Center, has weighed in on the recent decision by the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC), which ruled in favor of Russian-Armenian businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan.

Karapetyan, the Tashir Group owner, and his family have won an arbitration case against the Armenian government concerning the nationalization of the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA). The ruling, which has been hailed by Karapetyan’s team and his supporters, is seen by Ayvazyan as more than just a legal victory.

“No one is asking why would a judicial institution of the West currently in conflict with Russia suddenly rule in Karapetyan’s favor?” he wrote on Facebook on Friday.

According to Ayvazyan, anyone who truly attempts to lead Armenia out of the current crisis is bound to face opposition from Western powers. "Such efforts will inevitably lead to serious confrontation – possibly outright conflict – with the West. That is simply inevitable," he argued.

In this context, the analyst interprets the Stockholm ruling as an indirect overture to Karapetyan. “By ruling in his favor, the West is effectively offering Karapetyan a deal: retain control of ENA or receive substantial compensation for it and regain freedom soon provided that he refrains from engaging in a genuine struggle for Armenia.”

“I am not suggesting that Karapetyan has to make a particular choice – that is up to him,” Ayvazyan clarified. “But I believe if he chooses to engage in a genuine struggle for Armenia, he will inevitably lose the electric grid and perhaps much more.”

“It's impossible to enter a real political battle for Armenia while holding onto ENA. Anyone suggesting otherwise is leading the nation toward a dead end and eventual defeat,” he added.