Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said Yerevan does not rule out taking its dispute with Russia over the management of the South Caucasus Railway to an international court if the issue cannot be resolved through negotiations. At the same time, he stressed that the Armenian authorities hope to settle the matter through talks.
An Armenian court has rejected a motion by the defense of arrested billionaire and Russian citizen Samvel Karapetyan to post $1 million bail, the Hraparak newspaper reported, citing the businessman's lawyers.
Along with the bail offer, the lawyers requested a change to house arrest. In denying the request, the court cited "the risk of obstruction of justice, in particular, influencing individuals outside Armenia." Karapetyan's defense team called the court's decision "absurd," arguing that their client "is being held hostage, and alternative measures of restraint are not being considered."
Samvel Karapetyan was arrested on June 18 on charges of publicly calling for a coup d'état. He subsequently announced the creation of the political movement "Our Way," which plans to run for parliament in the 2026 parliamentary elections. At the end of November, the court extended his pretrial detention for another two months.
Karapetyan is known as a Russian stooge. While in pretrial detention, he accused the Armenian authorities of severing ties with Russia and emphasized that Moscow, as Yerevan's main ally, values reliability, predictability, and honesty.