Armenian businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan, currently detained for two months, has issued a statement through his legal team, declaring that Armenia will be removed from its status as a "geopolitical victim."
He added that they will restore the balance of interests and priorities in the region.
"What the current authorities managed to do"
“Lose or fail to use all strong negotiating positions we had after the 44-day war. With those positions, had negotiations been conducted competently and earnestly, it was possible to preserve Artsakh, avoid Armenian captives in Baku's prisons, maintain Armenia’s significant regional weight, and dictate terms in a peace agreement.
They nullified every negotiation lever, lost Artsakh, and then entered talks with Azerbaijan—leading to Baku getting everything while Armenia received nothing.
They agreed to demarcation and delimitation, handed over land without gaining anything in return. They rejected international mediators like France, the U.S., and Russia, claiming they would negotiate directly with Baku to avoid ‘serving foreign interests,’ yet ultimately allowed Turkey—Azerbaijan’s big brother—to become the sole actual mediator.
They betrayed national values and surrendered everything to the adversary in exchange for vague peace promises—a worthless piece of paper intended only to mislead the public before elections by saying, ‘look, we brought peace.’
Everyone in Armenia wants peace—but a real, dignified, and lasting one, not a hollow document accompanied by continuous threats and humiliation.
They proposed a so-called ‘crossroads’ project, allegedly for economic benefit, which turned into the long-desired Zangezur Corridor dreamt up by Ankara, putting Armenia on the path to becoming a vassal region. They endlessly spoke of European partnership, brought in European observers to ‘ensure Syunik’s security,’ and embraced Macron monthly, only to betray them all, now trying to hand over the ‘corridor’ to the Americans.
I have run successful businesses in various countries—France, Greece, Russia, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates. And I assure you, with such conduct and a reputation for deceit, the small clique leading this country will not only discredit themselves completely but also bring shame to our Homeland in the eyes of the world.
We will remove Armenia from its role as a geopolitical victim. We will restore the regional balance of interests and priorities. And then, transit routes will remain under Armenian sovereignty, generating hundreds of millions of dollars annually for Armenia’s budget—not for any other country, no matter how friendly. We will do it—our way,” the statement reads.
On June 18, Samvel Karapetyan was detained for two months, being accused of making a “public call aimed at seizing the powers of the Armenian government.” Hours earlier, Karapetyan had released a statement supporting the Armenian Apostolic Church.
In response, Prime Minister Pashinyan wrote: “Why have the wicked ‘clergymen’ and their wicked ‘philanthropists’ become active? We will silence them again. For good.” He later added that the Electric Networks of Armenia should be nationalized.
