Media: Armenian Parliament discusses potential takeover of power networks from Russian oligarch

The Armenian Civil Contract faction held an open discussion in the National Assembly on September 20.

The discussion focused on "Problems in the Sphere of Electricity Supply and Ways to Solve Them," Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

Gnel Sanosyan, Minister of Territorial Administration, and Garegin Baghramyan, Chairman of the Public Services Regulatory Commission, attended the meeting.

Around 10 days ago, these officials had already been called to a closed session led by Vahe Galumyan’s commission to discuss similar issues. At the time, discussions centered on the potential state takeover of the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) from its current owner, Russian citizen Samvel Karapetyan.

The increase in power supply failures and rising anti-Russian sentiments have contributed to this push for change. Initially, the issue was raised by the initiative group Civil Contract, which questioned why a Russian citizen should maintain control over Armenia's power grids. Baghramyan and Sanosyan were subsequently invited to discuss the matter.

Baghramyan argued that the issue could be resolved with state support and subsidies for ENA to upgrade its aging infrastructure. However, despite this, the authorities have decided to pursue further action.

The discussion marks the next step in potentially removing the ENA from its current owner, with efforts now being directed through legislative channels.

Adding to the urgency, Haik Kodjoyan, head of the Civil Contract faction, recently encouraged the public to report any issues related to electricity supply on his social media page, signalling a broader campaign to address the ongoing problems.