The Ministry of Foreign Affairs promised assistance to Karapetyan in connection with searches in his house

Russia will provide assistance to the head of the Tashir Group of Companies and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan, whose house is being searched amid his support for the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC). This was stated on June 17 by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, answering a question from Izvestia.

"Moscow is closely monitoring the situation around Russian citizen Karapetyan, who is being threatened with arrest in Yerevan under strange pretexts," she said.

According to Zakharova, the Russian side will "provide him with the necessary assistance so that all his legitimate rights are respected."

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On the same day, it was reported that Karapetyan was being tried to be detained for speaking out in support of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It was clarified that Interior Ministry officers arrived at Karapetyan's house immediately after he made a statement in defense of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

In May, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan began actively criticizing the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) and, in particular, accused Catholicos Garegin II, the first hierarch of the AAC, of violating celibacy, calling on him to leave office. The Supreme Spiritual Council of the Armenian Apostolic Church issued a statement saying that Pashinyan had launched "another campaign" against the church, "putting himself above the law," with language, insults and accusations "unbecoming of a statesman."

Karapetyan then stated that a "small group of people" had launched attacks on the Armenian Apostolic Church, forgetting the "thousand-year history" of the country and the church. He added that he "has always been close to the Armenian Church and people" and promised to take a "direct part" in this situation.