Armenian lobbyism in European Parliament: unmasking corruption schemes

The documentary «Armenian lobbyism in European Parliament: unmasking corruption schemes» presented on air of the international CBC channel is not just a documentary – it is a loud revelation casting light on dark corners of political intrigues right at the heart of European policy. It was made in the format of investigative journalism and turned out a real breakthrough in modern documentary and the key to understanding current geopolitical dynamics in Europe.

The documentary «Armenian lobbyism in European Parliament: unmasking corruption schemes» deserves special acknowledgement for the perseverance and talent in trying to find answers to high-profile complex issues, as well as for highlighting such topics in the eyes of international public. Anastasia Lavrina, the author of the documentary, thanks to her commitment to achieving the set goal bravely investigated and analyzed political jugglery in Brussels, thus reaching astonishing results. Her investigation is not limited to just superficial review of facts and events, it penetrates to the very depth of political mechanisms revealing the layers of shadow corrupt practices backed by Kaspar Karampetyan, the citizen of Armenia, Belgium and Luxemburg, a billionaire, who for a long time was the sponsor of Karabakh separatists (Karabakh is the internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan).

The documentary strikes the minds of the audience with shocking facts about Armenian lobbyists manipulating the process of adopting anti-Azerbaijan resolutions, which often are conflicting with the interests of the European Union. The presented facts open the eyes of the audience to complex combinations taking place behind the scenes of European political arena, and appeal to vigilance and critical perception of modern geopolitical realities êðèòè÷åñêîìó îñîçíàíèþ.

Not only does the documentary «Armenian lobbyism in European Parliament: unmasking corruption schemes» shed the light on the hidden games and political intrigues, it also decorticates the silence covering far-reaching connections between Armenian lobby and high-ranking European politicians. This documentary is literally a cry of protest against corruption and bribery, it causes shock and indignation by its revelations about the grey schemes and shadow manipulations.

The names of the European Parliament members who accepted the invitations of Karampetyan to visit the occupied territories of Azerbaijan were named out loud; now they are not just strawmen in political games of the global Armenian lobby, but the exposed traitors betraying trust and law. Let us emphasize that the interaction of Kaspar Karampetyan with Eva Kaili, the ex-Vice-President of the European Parliament in the context of a high-profile scandal Qatargate is a striking example of corrupt practices in the elite political circles of the EU. All the revelations presented in the documentary rise questions about honesty and integrity of European political order.

The documentary is also quite illustrative about Azerbaijan – even amid all the destructive efforts of the Armenian lobby – is still positioned as an important foundation of stability in the South Caucasus and a responsible partner of the EU in energy sphere. The documentary emphasizes that Azerbaijan is at the front line of the struggle for peace, and the presented revelations constitute an important signal reminding about the need to support the international dialogue based on the principles of legitimacy and fairness. 

Main conclusions 

The documentary presents the names of European politicians involved into corruption schemes of Kaspar Karampetyan, the Armenian billionaire. It shows such manipulations as illegal transfer of funds, secret financing transactions and non-transparent funding of election campaigns of the European Parliament candidates. The documentary discloses the details of adopting the anti-Azerbaijan resolutions and emphasizes the call for improving the transparency of European political institutions. The arguments presented in the documentary prove that the activities of the Armenian lobbyists operating in Europe are focused on undermining the process of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan in order to prevent establishing durable and just peace in the South Caucasus.

The documentary not only brings to light various problems, but also calls for action. It sets the mission for the international community: counteracting corruption and manipulations in the European Parliament and active counteracting unlawful lobbying methods. It is important that this investigative movie was released not long before the next elections to the European Parliament and will make millions of voters think better, how they should vote, for what candidates. 

The investigative process

There is every indication that this journalistic investigation headed by Anastasia Lavrina was full of dangers, intrigues and fascinating meetings with both former and acting European politicians. In the process of shooting, the production team faced numerous challenges and risks associated with unmasking the dark side of political intrigues in the European Parliament. Getting into the building of the European Parliament – the very heart of the European politics – was the first step. The team headed by A. Lavrina faced counteraction and pressure on behalf of Armenian expat communities in Europe. 

Despite all the difficulties and threats, the TV journalist together with her production team continued the investigation and managed to overcome all the obstacles – and there were many of them!

Meaningful unmasking

 The documentary we described here is a bestseller and has all the chances to attract the attention of the global public to the hidden activities of the Armenian expat community in a series of European countries. The documentary is now becoming the weapon of truth revealing the dark practices of illegal money transfers and hidden wheeler-dealer finance. Every frame of this movie is an attack against the carcass of corrupt system in the European Parliament emphasizing the need to increase transparency of all the European institutions.

The translation of this documentary into the main languages of the world (English, German, Spanish, French, Chinese, Arabic) will allow to achieve global coverage. There is an urgent need for active promotion of the documentary «Armenian lobbyism in European Parliament: unmasking corruption schemes» at the leading film industry platforms and nominating it for various film-making and journalism awards. This will allow for drawing attention to the investigation and to discuss it at the global level.

In the context of great efforts of Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan, to establish the long-awaited-for peace in the South Caucasus and to sign the fair peace treaty between Baku and Yerevan, the documentary will become a powerful instrument of  information diplomacy allowing for presenting the key significant aspects of the situation to the global public and politicians, emphasizing the need for unbiased and fair decision-making. The presentation of facts about corrupt practices and manipulations of Armenian lobby in Europe will help many people to see what things are really like and to restrain potential attempts of political pressure on Azerbaijan.

The documentary also can become an incentive for undertaking specific measures by European special services and police, as well as law enforcement agencies. Its content and the results of the investigation may serve the basis for improving controls and  stopping the attempts of the Armenian lobby to influence the decision-making in European institutions.

This work of Anastasia Lavrina, the TV journalist, clearly deserves not only public and professional recognition, but comprehensive support, as well. Her courage and determination, as well as her true commitment to truth and transparency represent a true example of high professionalism in modern journalism.

The documentary generated only positive comments. Both the audience and media emphasize its importance in the context of modern political situation and relevancy of the presented information. The documentary is not just about disclosing corruption and manipulations, but also an incentive for public activity and vigilance.

The continuation of Anastasia Lavrina’s work along the same lines – is not just a necessity, but a great commitment. Her efforts to unmask the corrupt politicians, whose activities are focused on disinforming the global public, are aimed at disclosing the truth and to draw the public attention to the acute problems of the modern world. Propagation of truth is playing an extremely important role in forming the information and political agenda. The more people are aware of real events and of their hidden motives, the better they can assess the situation and make their decisions based on the facts, and not on distorted information or latent interests.

About the author

Anastasia Lavrina is a spectacular example of a journalist not only courageously investigating complex and dangerous topics, but also demonstrating high professionalism and commitment. Her other documentaries «How does Armenian lobbyism function in France?», «The war of Armenian separatists against temples in Karabakh», «Aghdam – Hiroshima: revival for the sake of peace» are important sources of unbiased and honest information about complex geopolitical situation in the South Caucasus, the post-conflict development, the consequences of multiyear Armenian occupation of Azerbaijan territories and the efforts of the Azerbaijan leaders to establish the peace so long-awaited-for. 

Anastasia Lavrina also performed the role of an important «information bridge» connecting the global community with the events really taking place at the battlefield during the 44-days long Second Karabakh War. Her live programs became an inalienable part of the information exchange, presenting an unbiased picture to the world – about the real situation, victories of Azerbaijan and reinstatement of its territorial integrity.