“The ENA is being taken away from Karapetyan to be handed over to the Turks” Kremlin propagandist makes false claim

A number of Armenian media outlets are actively circulating an article by Kremlin propagandist Andrey Areshev about the upcoming visit of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to Turkey on June 20.

The propagandist links the event to the arrest of Russian businessman Samvel Karapetyan and Pashinyan’s earlier statements regarding the nationalization of his company, Electric Networks of Armenia.

“The Prime Minister’s declared intention to nationalize the Electric Networks of Armenia is nothing but a cover-up of a raider campaign launched by the Armenian authorities, the goal of which is to seize the company and subsequently hand it over to the Turks. Based on the existing information, we are talking about Aksa Energy company, which belongs to Kazancı Holding, and its owner Cemal Kazancı is interested in purchasing Armenia’s energy networks,” the propagandist writes.

He claimed that the main mediator is Khachatur Sukiasyan, a deputy from the Civil Contract faction of the National Assembly, who is also allegedly involved in the resale of the Kajaran Copper Molybdenum Combine to the same Turks.

In fact, Areshev makes this claim, referring to some “existing information,” without citing a clear source or any evidence to substantiate his claim.

The Fact Investigation Platform did not find any evidence confirming Areshev’s claim in open sources, including the online resources of the aforementioned Turkish company. The company, at least publicly, has never demonstrated interested in energy projects in Armenia.

Moreover, the information was also refuted by Khachatur Sukiasyan’s press secretary, calling it delusional.

Thus, the Kremlin propagandist’s claim is groundless and refuted.

The article was published on the Kremlin’s well-known propaganda platform

Areshev’s article was published in the journal of an organization called the Strategic Culture Foundation (РКХ) operating since 2005. The founder is Areshev himself, an active Kremlin propagandist who regularly appears on some Armenian media platforms.

The SCF poses itself as a platform for independent expert analysis on geopolitical topics, yet being long known as a Kremlin propaganda platform that publishes false and manipulative articles, mainly of an anti-Western nature.

The foundation also actively propagates against the authorities of post-Soviet states.

The fact-checking platform EU vs Disinformation, which has conducted numerous investigations within the framework of the fight against Russian disinformation, once studied and revealed that this organization does not work transparently, conceals its employees, and disseminates the propaganda theses of the Russian central government.

The thesis was first circulated by the Armenian opposition

It is noteworthy that this thesis was first circulated by Ishkhan Saghatelyan, a deputy of the NA Armenia faction.

The latter, addressing the topic in a conversation with journalists the day before yesterday, claimed that Pashinyan “is aiming to seize companies with Russian capital under the guise of nationalization, in order to hand all this over to the Turks.”

Nane Manasyan