YEREVAN, 11 June. /ARKA/. The deal on the sale and change of Ameriabank’s shareholders is not related to the arrest of former Nagorno-Karabakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan by Azerbaijan, Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia Martin Galstein said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Ruben Vardanyan was one of the bank’s key shareholders.
“Comparing information from different places and contrasting it, I can say that one thing is not connected to the other – these are different processes. The sale process was started and continued much earlier,’ Galstyan said when asked whether he sees a Turkish or Azerbaijani trace in the deal in the context of Ruben Vardanyan’s arrest.
Galstyan declined to comment on the price of the deal, pointing out that it was an agreement between private individuals, but noted that the international partners were clearly favourable to the deal.
About the deal
On 29 March this year, the Central Bank of Armenia decided to give preliminary consent to the acquisition of a significant stake in the charter capital of Ameriabank CJSC by Bank of Georgia Group PLC and Bank of Georgia JSC.
On 8 April, Ameriabank officially announced the completion of the purchase and sale transaction and changes in the shareholder structure.
As of 4 April, the new shareholders were Bank of Georgia Group PLC (60%), Bank of Georgia JSC (30%) and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (10%). -0-
