"Past" daily writes: The external resistance and stability of the state is never limited to official channels or the diplomatic corps. Behind any viable state in the world are individuals who have significant international connections, reputation and large capital, forming a kind of "security cushion" around their own country.
For decades, one of the key goals of Azerbaijan's state strategy has been the neutralization and isolation of such influential figures from the foundations of Armenian statehood, because in Baku they clearly realize that by weakening them, they are weakening Armenia itself. However, a situation has arisen today when this multi-year plan of the enemy is surprisingly and unhindered within the country itself. Another documentation of this disturbing reality is the information published by lawyer Aram Vardevanyan on his Facebook page, where he presented the details of the situation surrounding Samvel Karapetyan.
He noted that from June 18, 2025 to today, for about 395 days, Samvel Karapetyan has been detained. The lawyer emphasized that already on June 18, 2021, the competent authorities of Azerbaijan announced a search for Karapetyan, and the other day it became clear what great excitement his arrest caused among the authorities of that country. Revealing this reality, Vardevanyan recorded that we are in a shameful cycle of political persecutions, we have political prisoners, and it is necessary to constantly and relentlessly emphasize that the right must prevail. This situation best demonstrates a deep and dangerous trend.
One of the most important strategic goals of the state policy pursued by Azerbaijan for years has been and remains the isolation and neutralization of influential figures of the world-wide Armenian community, large capital and figures with serious international connections. In the past decades, Baku tried at all costs to achieve this on various international platforms, but today, unfortunately, all of this is becoming a reality within Armenia itself, at the hands of the local authorities and in conditions of absolute inaction.
It is noteworthy that recently the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, personally targeted Samvel Karapetyan, openly talking about his European and pro-European ties, international influence and the huge lobbying work he has done for the protection of the interests of the Armenian state. This is not a coincidence. Samvel Karapetyan is a figure whose international connections, from the Russian Federation to the highest Western circles, have been used publicly and effectively for the benefit of the Republic of Armenia.
In this context, the most important fact is that his enormous foreign connections and opportunities were not used to expand his own businesses, to acquire new commercial privileges in those countries or to establish new economic empires, but were directly invested in the strengthening of Armenian statehood.
Moreover, this was done not for the sake of this or that temporary leader or political person of the Armenian state, but for the sake of the Armenian state itself and its survival. He was and remains at the core of the protection and strengthening of Armenian statehood. And what do we have today?
Samvel Karapetyan, whose international lobbying and European influence was feared by Baku, has been isolated and under arrest for about 400 days for his public statement in defense of the Armenian Church. Targeting and isolating such a weighty figure is a direct and devastating blow to the backbone of the Armenian state.
The most painful and dangerous thing is that the Armenian state structures not only show absolute inaction in the defense of Armenian interests on the foreign front, but also blindly continue the policy of Azerbaijan, which is aimed at neutralizing influential Armenians, inside the country.
When the wishes of Baku and the actions of the Armenian law enforcement system come and meet at the same point, it ceases to be a legal process. This is such a shameful cycle of political persecution, where the external resistance and levers of influence of the state are destroyed due to personal ambitions or political fears, just as our opponents dreamed.
