Thursday, July 17 2014

The
operation by Russia's Federal Security Service to detain well-known Armenian
businessman and philanthropist Levon Hayrapetyan is aimed to cast a shadow over
the Armenian- Russian friendship, to question the expediency of Armenia's
accession to the Eurasian Economic Union and to curb the development of Nagorno-Karabakh's
army, says hero of the Nagorno-Karabakh war, General Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan.

 

He notes that Hayrapetyan is a great patriot of
Armenia and Russia, a well- known philanthropist and one of the most active
campaigners for Armenian- Russian friendship.

 

"His arrest was a big surprise for all those who
know him well. The only party that has grounds for being displeased with his
activities is Azerbaijan, a country that is jealous of the achievements of
Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh and that solves all of its problems by means of
oil dollars and caviar diplomacy. Just remember the words of the CE Secretary
General, who said that Azerbaijan's caviar is a threat to PACE,"
Ter-Tadevosyan says.

 

He regrets that there still are corrupt people in some
Russian agencies, including the Federal Security Service. "For thirty
pieces of silver they are ready to go against the interests of their own state.
And I think nobody doubts that it is in the interest of Russia to have two
strong Armenian states between itself and NATO," Ter-Tadevosyan says.

 

He points out that Hayrapetyan is one of the key
sponsors of the project to build a military school in Nagorno-Karabakh. "And
it was Hayrapetyan's initiative to name it after two outstanding Russian
commanders of Armenian origin, Alexander Suvorov and Valery Madatov,"
Ter-Tadevosyan says.

 

He is sure that lots of people in Armenia,
Nagorno-Karabakh and Russia will stand up for Hayrapetyan and hopes that things
will clear up and Hayrapetyan will continue his activities for the sake of the
Armenian-Russian friendship.

 

To remind, the Russian special
services have detained one of the richest Armenian businessmen in the world
Levon Hayrapetyan on suspicion of being privy to the notorious
"Kingisep" criminal group.  According
to Rosbalt, Hayrapetyan was detained on Tuesday upon arriving in Moscow from
his home in Monaco. Shortly the investigators are planning to petition the
Basmanny Court to arrest the businessman. They are currently investigating the
case of Sergey-Finagin's "Kingisepp" group, which together with
Alexander Matusov's "Schelkovo" gang, is believed to have done a
number of contract killings first for businessman Georgy Safiyev (killed in the
United States) and then for former Senator Igor Izmestyev (who is now in jail
for life). And it was Izmestyev who said that Levon Hayrapetyan was privy to
some of the killings, particularly, those related to the Bashneft oil company.