'Everything has limits' - Pashinyan vows to sue Samvel Karapetyan
Nikol Pashinyan to sue Samvel Karapetyan
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says he will sue Samvel Karapetyan, leader of the “Strong Armenia” party. The Russian-Armenian billionaire made remarks that Pashinyan considered insulting.
Karapetyan currently remains under house arrest on charges of calling for the seizure of power. Earlier in the day, however, he held a press conference at his home. During the event, Karapetyan claimed that Pashinyan regularly consumed “hallucinogenic mushrooms” imported from China before public appearances.
Pashinyan also held his regular weekly briefing on the same day. Journalists asked him about Karapetyan’s remarks, but the prime minister said he had more important matters to deal with than commenting on them.
Shortly after the briefing, however, Nikol Pashinyan published a video on social media in which he said:
“They showed me the absurd statement made by the Kaluga oligarch about a tonne of hallucinogenic mushrooms. Of course, I will sue the Kaluga oligarch. And in the legal sense of the term, I will feed the Kaluga oligarch a tonne of hallucinogenic mushrooms. Forgive my harsh language. But there’s a limit to everything.”
Strong Armenia has placed Narek Karapetyan, Samvel Karapetyan’s nephew, at the top of its candidate list for the parliamentary elections due in June. The party, however, says it wants Samvel Karapetyan to become prime minister rather than Narek Karapetyan.
Samvel Karapetyan, however, cannot run either for parliament or for prime minister. Under Armenia’s constitution, candidates must hold only Armenian citizenship. Karapetyan also holds Russian and Cypriot citizenship.
Karapetyan’s remarks about “Chinese mushrooms”, the main points from his press conference, and his exchange of accusations with Nikol Pashinyan.
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Karapetyan on the mushrooms allegedly brought from China
During the press conference, a journalist asked Samvel Karapetyan how he reacted to Nikol Pashinyan’s statement that he would “soon turn from a billionaire into a homeless man”.
In April, Nikol Pashinyan repeatedly said he “feared” that by the end of the year Samvel Karapetyan could “turn from a billionaire into a homeless man”.
Political analyst Robert Gevondyan described Pashinyan’s remarks in an interview with JAMnews as “a transparent hint”.
“Samvel Karapetyan is forced to act according to Russia’s instructions. Otherwise, he could lose the assets he holds in Russia. This has repeatedly happened to businessmen who went against the Kremlin’s will and refused to follow Moscow’s orders,” he said.
Samvel Karapetyan replied that the prime minister was “acting out his fantasies” during public appearances. He claimed those remarks were influenced by “Chinese mushrooms”.
“Last year, when the prime minister visited China, there were restaurants serving hallucinogenic mushrooms. He tried them and liked them. According to my information, he brought around a tonne of them back to Armenia. That is why, I believe, before speaking at briefings or in parliament, he definitely uses those mushrooms.”
The businessman also urged people not to take Nikol Pashinyan’s remarks seriously.
“Everything is going according to plan. He will continue making statements in desperation. And our people will give their assessment on 7 June,” he said, referring to the date of the parliamentary elections.
Other remarks by Karapetyan
During the press conference, the businessman, who hopes to become prime minister, also commented on other issues of public interest in Armenia.
On the peace process
“A peace deal like this [with Azerbaijan] will not satisfy the Armenian people. Armenia is a small but proud state. We need more than one guarantor. Only a few countries in the world are capable of providing such guarantees. There are three real superpowers: the United States, Russia and China.
“There are also countries with regional interests. We will seek guarantees from those states too. I am confident we will be able to reach agreements with more than one of them.”
On ‘Trump Route’
The “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP) is a road linking Azerbaijan with its exclave of Nakhchivan through Armenian territory.
For several years, Yerevan and Baku could not agree on the issue. Azerbaijan demanded what it called the “Zangezur Corridor”. Armenian authorities said they were ready to reopen all regional transport links, but rejected the term “corridor”, arguing that it implied a loss of Armenian sovereignty over the territory.
The two sides only reached an agreement on 8 August during talks in Washington. Under the deal, Armenia will retain sovereign control over the route, while the United States will participate in the project as a business partner.
The initiative later became known as the “Trump Route”, after US President Donald Trump. A joint Armenian-American statement said the two sides planned to create a company to implement the TRIPP project. The United States would hold a 74% stake in the venture.
“We will not obstruct the implementation of any agreements signed at the state level. But that does not mean we will do everything written in them. We will try to improve this document and make it better aligned with our national interests, because I fear everyone except Armenia will benefit from it.”
On claims that Russia sent him to Armenia
“Do you really think Vladimir Putin called me and said: ‘Your father’s memorial service is coming up. You will go to Armenia and attend a church service. When you come out, one of our journalist agents will approach you and ask a question. Then our agent Nikol Pashinyan will come up to you. He will arrest you and keep you in terrible conditions. After that, you will come to your senses and go into politics.’”
Samvel Karapetyan was referring to the interview that authorities later used to justify his arrest. In the interview, he spoke about growing tensions between the Armenian government and the church. He said he supported the church and added: “If Armenia’s political forces fail to deal with this situation, we will have to respond in our own way to the campaign against the church.” Authorities interpreted the remarks as a public call to seize power.
On accusations that he wants to turn Armenia into a Russian province
“We will turn Armenia into the fastest-growing, most dynamic, most beautiful and wealthiest country in the region. Everything else says more about them than about us.
“If Nikol Pashinyan wins re-election, we will become not a province of Russia, but a province of Azerbaijan, because Pashinyan is behaving like a governor appointed by Azerbaijan.”
On allegations of vote-buying by the “Strong Armenia” party
“In our country, it is the current government that buys votes and takes bribes. As a major political force, we have no need to bribe anyone. We do everything within the law.”
On the possibility of losing his property
“There is no person and no force capable of taking all my property away from me.”
On renouncing his Russian and Cypriot citizenship
“The process has started and is moving forward. Our lawyers are handling it. I do not wake up every morning asking what is happening with that process. I assure you that when the time comes, I will be solely an Armenian citizen.”
Pashinyan: “Karapetyan is a fake candidate”
Samvel Karapetyan said the party he leads was confident of an outright victory in the elections.
“I do not rely only on opinion polls. I am also convinced by Pashinyan’s extremely low approval ratings, which you probably know better than I do,” he told journalists.
Karapetyan said he believed support for the ruling Civil Contract party stood at around 25%, meaning it would not be able to remain in power.
Journalists asked what steps the Strong Armenia party would take if it lost the elections.
“After the elections, I will be prime minister. Let us not discuss meaningless questions today,” Karapetyan replied.
However, during his briefing, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reminded journalists that Karapetyan was neither a candidate for prime minister nor even a candidate for parliament.
According to Pashinyan, Karapetyan was a “hybrid” and “fake” candidate.
“As if fake news was not enough, now we also have fake candidates? Just as hybrid information spreads in Armenia, they have now brought in a hybrid, fake candidate. This cannot happen,” he said.
Pashinyan added that it was absurd to hear a person who was neither a candidate nor eligible to become one speak about winning the elections.
“They should first worry about whether they will even make it into parliament. It is simply ridiculous when they talk about victory. This is yet another sign that these people have nothing to do with Armenia’s political processes or with its people. Their sources of information and inspiration are located outside Armenia.”
Commenting on opinion polls, Pashinyan said all published surveys showed support for the ruling party running at roughly twice the level of the most popular opposition force.
He again described the three main opposition groups planning to take part in the elections as a “three-headed party of war”. He was referring to the Armenia Alliance bloc led by former president Robert Kocharyan, Strong Armenia led by Samvel Karapetyan, and Prosperous Armenia led by businessman Gagik Tsarukyan.
Pashinyan said he used the term because all three leaders supported revising the peace deal with Azerbaijan. According to him, that would inevitably lead to war. At the same time, he said he did not believe the opposition would win enough votes to enter parliament.
Nikol Pashinyan to sue Samvel Karapetyan
