Investment climate in Armenia is the most advantageous- Papoyan

YEREVAN, August 21. /ARКА/. Armenian Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan stated that there has not been a more favorable investment environment during Armenia's independence than what has emerged after August 8, 2025.

This statement was made in response to journalists' inquiries regarding whether the arrest of businessman Samvel Karapetyan had led to a decline in investor confidence.

On August 8, a meeting took place in Washington involving Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, US President Donald Trump, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, which resulted in the signing of a joint declaration.

In this context, the minister highlighted several significant investment initiatives currently underway in Armenia.

He further noted that the government is actively pursuing programs to assist the Karapetyan family and other investors to enhance economic activity within the nation.

Samvel Karapetyan was arrested in June on accusations of calling for a power seizure after he publicly supported the Armenian Apostolic Church in its conflict with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s administration. Following the arrest, Pashinyan declared it was time to nationalize Karapetyan’s company, Electric Netwroks of Armenia, and the Armenian parliament passed laws allowing the state to seize it.

In response, the Karapetyan family filed a lawsuit at the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC), citing a 1995 bilateral investment treaty between Armenia and Cyprus.

The SCC ruled that Armenia must halt any efforts to enforce the new legislation or confiscate the company, warning that such actions would hinder the family’s ability to recover damages if they lose control.-0-