Pashinyan's Former MP Nephew Starts Business in Ukraine

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's nephew, Sipan Pashinyan, who served as a member of parliament from 2019 to 2021 in the ruling 'My Step' faction, has established a company in Ukraine last year.

The following is an insight from Hetq.am:

Sipan Pashinyan has started a joint business with the Ghazaryan family, known in Cherkasy, registering 'CherWood' LLC in the city of Cherkasy on September 13, 2022, together with Narek Ghazaryan. The ownership of the company is shared equally between them at a 50-50 ratio. The charter capital of the company is 25,000 Ukrainian hryvnias, and its director is Arthur, the brother of Narek Ghazaryan.

The name 'CherWood' is not randomly chosen; it combines 'Cherkasy' and the English 'wood,' suggesting that the company's activities are related to wood processing. Indeed, according to the Ukrainian register, the main activity of Pashinyan and Ghazaryan's company is the sawing and processing of timber, with other activities including the production of plywood and panels, wooden construction products, and wooden container production, among others. The company is also involved in the rental and management of real estate.

Notably, Sipan Pashinyan's data in the Ukrainian register indicates that his country of citizenship and registration is Ukraine, and a residential building on Dnipro Heroes Street in Cherkasy is listed as their address. 'CherWood' LLC is also registered at the same address.

The Ghazaryan family is well-known not only in Cherkasy but also throughout the region. Narek and Arthur Ghazaryan are the sons of Petros, the brother of businessmen Andranik and Frunze Ghazaryan. Andranik Telmanovich Ghazaryan is also the honorary consul of Armenia in Cherkasy. Andranik Ghazaryan is the president of the 'Nadia' business group, which includes companies from various sectors such as construction, real estate, trade, food industry, poultry farming, pig farming, gardening, and plant growing. Their business partners include the Tkachenko brothers, one of whom, Yuri Tkachenko, served as the head of the Cherkasy region from 2014 to 2018.

In the poultry farming business, the Ghazaryans and Tkachenko brothers are partners with David Manukyan, the son of former Armenian ambassador to Ukraine Andranik Manukyan, who served as a member of parliament from the 'Zarukyan' and BHK factions from 2017 to 2021. Manukyan is the son-in-law of businessman Gagik Tsarukyan, the leader of BHK.

The connections between the Ghazaryans and Pashinyans are not coincidental, as both families have ties to Ijevan. According to media reports, Andranik Ghazaryan and Nikol Pashinyan hail from the same neighborhood in Ijevan. They are also contemporaries, with A. Ghazaryan being 53 years old and N. Pashinyan being 48.

Interestingly, in 1999, A. Ghazaryan renounced his Armenian citizenship, a request that was approved by then-President Robert Kocharian. Narek Ghazaryan, 34, was also born in Ijevan but moved to Ukraine with his family at the age of 5, obtaining Ukrainian citizenship.

In 2012, in memory of their father, Andranik, Frunze, and Petros Ghazaryan sponsored the opening and consecration of St. Savior Church in Ijevan. In 2014, they funded the establishment of a children's playground in Ijevan. The then-mayor of Ijevan, Vardan Ghalumyan, reported that the Ghazaryans also funded the renovation of the city park's lighting system, the railings of Yerevan Street, and the sidewalks of Aslanyan Street. The Ijevan council awarded the honorary title of Ijevan citizen to F. Ghazaryan, a year after A. Ghazaryan received the same honor.

Following the political changes in 2018, Nikol Pashinyan's government initiated a series of conferences, including the investment forum 'My Step for Tavush,' which took place in September 2018 in Ijevan. Andranik Ghazaryan also participated in the event. He later invited the then-governor of Tavush, Vahe Ghalumyan, to Cherkasy to establish connections and start projects in Armenia.

Ghazaryan expressed intentions to establish a modern pig farm in Tavush with a capacity of 630 sows. The main farm was to be developed alongside smaller farms, which would be supported by the main farm with sows and feed, with the small farms retaining all income while repaying only the cost of feed.

According to media reports, Andranik Ghazaryan acquired the Ijevan hotel, built during the Soviet era, at a very low price (in which, according to reports, N. Pashinyan's close relationship played an important role) and turned it into a residential building in 2021, subsequently stating that he was offering developed apartments at a 30% discount to Armenians in Ukraine.

In the summer of 2020, MP Sipan Pashinyan announced that following discussions with businessman Andranik Ghazaryan, they decided to work together to restore all old wooden bus stops in Ijevan.

Interestingly, in July 2021, while still an MP, Sipan Pashinyan was present at a meeting in Ukraine between Armenian ambassador Vladimir Karapetyan and the then-governor of Cherkasy, Alexander Skichko. Andranik Ghazaryan, the honorary consul of Armenia in Cherkasy, also attended the meeting.

During this meeting, attendees discussed the potential for cooperation outlined in the economic and cultural collaboration memorandum signed in 2009 between Cherkasy and Tavush regions.

Notably, the current head of the Armenia-Ukraine friendship group in parliament is the son-in-law of Prime Minister Pashinyan, MP Hrachya Hakobyan. Both Hakobyan and Sipan Pashinyan were also members of the Armenia-Ukraine friendship group in the previous parliament.

It is also worth mentioning that Sipan Pashinyan's father, Artak Pashinyan, has also been involved in business. In September 2020, the Prime Minister's elder brother leased two plots of land from the 'Hayantar' state non-commercial organization in the area of Sevkar forestry in Tavush, covering 0.5 ha and 0.2 ha. In an interview with Hetq, A. Pashinyan stated that the area was leased for tourism purposes, with picnic areas and wooden structures for overnight stays established there. The 'Artak Pashinyan Vova' LLC registered in September 2020 is reportedly involved in the provision of hotel services, according to the tax committee.