Russian–Armenian billionaire and opposition politician Samvel Karapetyan has said that his efforts to renounce both his Russian and Cypriot citizenship cannot move forward while he remains under house arrest, placing Cyprus unexpectedly at the center of Armenia's post-election political debate.
According to OC Media in a report published on 1 July, Karapetyan told reporters that he must personally visit the Russian and Cypriot embassies to submit the paperwork required to relinquish his foreign citizenships. However, he said this is impossible without court authorization because he has been under house arrest since December 2025 while facing several criminal charges, including alleged money laundering.
The citizenship issue has become politically significant because Armenian law bars individuals holding foreign citizenship from serving as prime minister. Karapetyan had been presented by the opposition Strong Armenia Alliance as its candidate for the country's top political office despite his acknowledged ineligibility.
"I've made a political statement," Karapetyan said, according to OC Media. "On the day it becomes necessary—that is, the day I am declared prime minister—I will be only a citizen of Armenia."
His remarks highlight an unusual Cyprus connection to Armenia's domestic political crisis. Although Cyprus has no direct role in the Armenian legal proceedings, Karapetyan's possession of Cypriot citizenship means that any attempt to qualify for high office depends partly on completing formal procedures involving the Republic of Cyprus through its diplomatic mission.
Karapetyan declined to specify the current status of the renunciation process but insisted that holding different citizenships in legal proceedings in France, Sweden and Armenia would not complicate his plans.
Beyond the citizenship issue, Karapetyan signaled that Armenia's political confrontation is far from over. Speaking after the opposition's defeat in the June parliamentary elections, he said his alliance would await a Constitutional Court ruling expected on 4 July before determining its next moves.
He also claimed to possess a "secret plan" to remove Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan from office, although he refused to provide details or a timetable. Later the same day, he suggested that Pashinyan's government would eventually collapse under the weight of its own failures, while leaving open the possibility of future street protests if political conditions warranted.
According to OC Media, the alliance is also divided over whether to take up its parliamentary seats, with Karapetyan saying internal consultations now show a growing majority in favor of entering parliament rather than boycotting it.
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