Pashinyan fears Samvel Karapetyan and tries to overshadow him – Karen Kocharyan

A new figure, Samvel Karapetyan, has entered domestic politics, and the authorities fear him most and try to overshadow him, political strategist Karen Kocharyan told Alpha News, commenting on the arrest of opposition members within the criminal case on alleged terrorism and usurpation of power.

“There has never been a case in the world where the prevention of a terrorist act is announced in advance. They are trying to overshadow Samvel Karapetyan with this move, presenting Archbishop Bagrat and the Holy Struggle movement as leaders—something that won’t succeed, because they understand very well Samvel Karapetyan’s stature and influence. After his arrest, they have already felt certain consequences. If the authorities were really focused on ‘preventing terrorism,’ they would have acted back in 2024. Now, they are just putting on a new show for the public to diminish Karapetyan’s significance,” Kocharyan emphasized.

The political strategist believes Prime Minister Pashinyan senses a threat of a power shift.

“They are very aware of the example of Ivanishvili—also a billionaire who earned his wealth not in Georgia, but abroad, and then defeated Saakashvili in the elections. Samvel Karapetyan was essentially forced to signal his political intentions—at least, his letters from prison are essentially a political program. I assess Samvel Karapetyan’s chances as high, considering his stature, the fact that there is no compromising material against him, and that he earned his money abroad. He has invested and done charity here using foreign-earned funds. He is an invulnerable and widely acceptable figure for nearly all opposition forces,” Kocharyan said.