The Armenian government nominated Mesrop Mesropian for the vacant post of chairman of the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) one month after the resignation of its previous holder, Garegin Baghramian. The National Assembly controlled by Civil Contract approved Mesropian’s candidacy after a heated debate.
Baghramian and two senior government officials dealing with energy stepped down right after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian held an emergency meeting on power cuts in Armenia that have become more frequent of late.
The resignations came amid media speculation that Pashinian’s government may pressure Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetian to fully or partly sell the national electric utility, Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA), owned by his Tashir Group. Civil Contract’s parliamentary group stoked that speculation in September when it organized a parliamentary hearing on the power cuts.
Speaking during the parliament debate, an opposition lawmaker, Agnesa Khamoyan, suggested that the choice of Mesropian may also be part of those alleged plans. She cited anti-Russian statements made by the nominee on social media.
Khamoyan and another opposition deputy, Anna Grigorian, singled out Mesropian’s Facebook post made the day after Pashinian held a trilateral meeting in Brussels with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in April. He wrote that the meeting heralds “the end of the era of Russian neocolonialism.”
“With such views, how are you going to do business with Gazprom?” Grigorian asked him, referring to the Russian energy giant that supplies the bulk of Armenia’s natural gas.
Mesropian replied that he cannot fail to reckon with the fact that Russian gas and nuclear fuel generate roughly two-thirds of Armenia’s electricity. He denied being a Russia-hater, saying that he went to a Russian-language school and was brough up “with Russian values.”
“I have enjoyed spending my vacation in Saint Petersburg and Moscow,” added the incoming PSRC chairman.
Opposition lawmakers also pointed to Mesropian’s links with Pashinian’s party, arguing that Armenian law bars partisan figures from running the regulatory body. Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Gnel Sanosian said in this regard that Mesropian has now “frozen” his membership in the party.