Armenian government refuses to enforce ENA arbitration ruling, minister says

Justice Minister Srbuhi Galyan says the Armenian government has voluntarily chosen not to comply with an interim ruling by the Stockholm Arbitration Court concerning the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA).

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Galyan claimed that the decision effectively called for Armenia to suspend enforcement of domestic legislation in connection with ENA. “This is our state and it must follow its laws and constitutional order unless proven otherwise. The arbitration order contradicts that principle,” she stated.

The minister noted that while international and national legal mechanisms exist for either mandatory enforcement or rejection of such rulings on public policy grounds, Armenia maintains it acted within its legal framework.

Galyan added that if a court orders enforcement, it would be carried out by the Compulsory Enforcement Service, but questioned how any court could instruct Armenia not to apply its own laws.

Earlier, the legal team of detained businessman Samvel Karapetyan announced that on July 22 an emergency arbitrator appointed by the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce ordered Armenia to refrain from applying the recently adopted provisions of the country’s energy laws to ENA and taking further steps toward the expropriation of the company.