News - Defending the interests of Russian business abroad is one of the priorities: Zakharova on the situation with ESA and Samvel Karapetyan

YEREVAN, November 20 — ARKA. Russia is closely watching the situation around CJSC Electric Networks of Armenia and the president of the Tashir Group, Samvel Karapetyan, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said, adding that protecting the interests of Russian business abroad is one of the indisputable priorities. Moscow and Yerevan have established intergovernmental channels to discuss such questions. As for the company itself, over the past ten years CJSC Electric Networks of Armenia has been a leading player on the republic’s energy market, serving about two hundred thousand citizens and paying taxes reliably, she said at a briefing on Thursday. She reminded that ten years ago, when Samvel Karapetyan took the helm of the Electric Networks, he offset the gap caused by the rise in electricity tariffs for households and small businesses using his own funds in parity with the Armenian government. From 2017 to 2023, including, the company spent nearly $700 million on upgrading infrastructure. To be precise, $680 million was spent. For 2024–2034, investments planned totaled $795 million, Zakharova said, expressing hope that Armenia’s newly appointed managers will be able to present a more efficient management model and adding that 'cases must be judged on their merits.' On the revocation of ESA’s license: At the November 17 meeting, the KROU approved revoking the license of ESA (owned by the Tashir Group of Samvel Karapetyan) to distribute electricity (capacity). The commission cited violations discovered during four months of proceedings, including misreporting, deficiencies and other falsifications of meter readings, violations in implementing investment programs, breaches of deadlines and procedures for connecting new subscribers; and violations of construction and fire safety norms in the construction and repair of certain facilities. The commission asserts that ESA provided risky credit guarantees through commercial banks to a number of affiliated companies; it allegedly mismanaged its property, real estate and funds. According to KROU head Mesrop Mesropyan, the state will now negotiate with the owner or the ESA board of directors regarding the transfer of ownership rights to the property, and 'if the parties do not reach an agreement within three months, the state may, on the basis of priority interest, take ownership of that property.' ESA representatives disagree with the presented conclusions, questioning the accuracy of the sampling and results of the KROU studies, as well as the quality of inspections and expert conclusions. About ESA and the president of the Tashir Group: CJSC Electric Networks of Armenia operates the medium- and low-voltage distribution networks in Armenia, serving about 1 million subscribers. Since 2016 the owner of ESA has been the Tashir Group, which invested about $680 million in upgrading the company, and another about $150–200 million was invested in creating new capacities. By 2034 the total planned investments of ESA in Armenia’s energy system are to reach 540 billion drams. The president of the Tashir Group, Samvel Karapetyan, has been under arrest since June 18, 2025. By decision of the Anti-Corruption Court, his arrest was extended to January 18, 2026. He is charged with three episodes — 'public calls to seize power' (after his remarks in support of the Catholicos of All Armenians and the AAC), large-scale tax evasion and money laundering.