ArmInfo. The Mars plant and the Yerevan Institute of Mathematical Machines have never been owned by the Russian company Sitronics Group; they are owned by the Russian government, as stated by the second president of the Republic of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, at a press conference on January 29.
According to him, the assets of the Armenian enterprises are managed by the Russian State Property Committee, which, in turn, had previously transferred them to the management of Sitronics Group, a subsidiary of AFK Sistema, until 2023. In 2023, AFK Sistema left Armenia due to the expiration of its contract. This company also owned VivaCell in Armenia. Now, as the former president noted, Roskomumushchestvo has once again appealed to AFK Sistema to reassume management of the two Armenian assets.
Recall, the second president of the Republic of Armenia previously served on the Board of Directors of AFK Sistema. In this regard, he noted that he will no longer serve on the Board as of 2021. However, Robert Kocharyan does own shares in this company, as evidenced by the income declaration submitted by the second president of the Republic of Armenia. During his 12 years as an independent director of AFK Sistema, the former president received part of his salary in cash and the other part in shares. However, as the former president noted, the total number of shares is insignificant - only 0.06%.
Recall, ArmInfo previously reported that the leading Russian company Sitronics Group had assumed control of the Yerevan Research Institute of Mathematical Machines (ERIMM). The transaction took place on January 19 of this year. The institute itself has not provided any comments on the transfer to Sitronics. The relevant Armenian ministries and agencies have also refrained from commenting on the change in management of the Institute to a large Russian holding company.
The specifics, details, and price of the YRIMM transaction under Sitronics' control are currently unclear. The share capital of the state-owned YRIMM is 67,780,000 drams (approximately $178,300). According to the latest data for 2022, Sitronics Group's revenue exceeded 37.5 billion rubles. YRIMM, known as Armenia's Soviet "Silicon Valley," was founded in 1956 by a distinguished Soviet scientist Sergei Mergelyan. Over the years, the institute has accumulated extensive experience in the design and production of computer technologies and systems, remaining a center of innovation and technological progress. YRIMM is one of the key pillars of Armenia's scientific and technological development. Today, the Institute primarily works on highly complex cryptographic devices that ensure the protection of confidential communications and data security. According to experts, it is this area of Mergelyan Institute's work that has attracted significant interest from Russian investors, particularly Sitronics Group, a multidisciplinary Russian IT company with extensive experience in digitalizing strategic economic sectors and implementing large-scale projects for businesses and the government. Sitronics Group is a key integrator and provider of communications and video surveillance solutions. The company implements projects to digitalize infrastructure facilities for government customers and modernizes operator communications networks using equipment from leading domestic manufacturers, including equipment for backbone networks based on DWDM technology.
