Acting head of Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA), Romanos Petrosyan, declared that deputy director Davit Ghazinyan must step down, stating Ghazinyan is partially responsible for the company’s current state. “He has no grounds to stay. His mandate ended Friday at 6:00 p.m.,” Petrosyan told Radar Armenia.
Petrosyan said there won’t be mass layoffs but said top management changes are imminent, citing mismanagement of a utility that directly affects over 3 million Armenians and 1.1 million subscribers. He urged ENA specialists to maintain professional conduct and avoid sabotage, warning of criminal liability.
Ghazinyan, responding to Panorama.am , denied understanding Petrosyan’s motivations and accused him of using personal attacks for self-assertion. He refused to resign, citing his two-decade career at ENA and dismissing the legitimacy of the current administration. “Let them prove mistrust,” he said, accusing the government of arbitrariness.
He urged ENA’s 6,800 employees to continue working “in our way—for the people’s benefit.” Addressing sabotage claims, Ghazinyan called for evidence and deemed such allegations unethical without proof.
Regarding tariff stability, he clarified that Petrosyan misrepresented owner Samvel Karapetyan’s stance. According to Ghazinyan, Karapetyan simply noted that tariffs might not rise—and could even fall—over the next decade due to technology.
Ghazinyan suggested a criminal case might be launched against him but asserted he remains undeterred. He accused the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) of lacking independence and said the administrator’s appointment was illegal, as the administrative process is still ongoing.
He also challenged the legality of Petrosyan’s audit plans, saying he had previously led inspections that exposed misconduct. Ghazinyan questioned whether Petrosyan was even aware how many materially responsible employees had been dismissed in recent days.
On July 3, parliament passed legal amendments enabling ENA’s state takeover. PM Nikol Pashinyan had announced nationalization plans on June 18, shortly before Karapetyan’s arrest. A temporary administrator, Petrosyan, was appointed on July 18. The PSRC launched proceedings against ENA based on a government directive.
Karapetyan acquired ENA in 2016 at the previous government’s request, investing hundreds of millions in modernization since.
