Samvel Farmanyan

Logo of Samvel Farmanyan

Samvel Farmanyan is a co-founder and co-owner of Quartet Media CJSC, which operates the Tert.am news website. He holds 25% of the company's shares. Born on February 17, 1978, in Spandaryan village, Shirak Province, he holds a Candidate of Historical Sciences degree.


From 2003-2005, Farmanyan coordinated the Civil Society and Mass Media programs at the Armenian branch of the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation. He then served as advisor to the Speaker of the National Assembly on foreign policy and international relations (2005-2006) before joining President Serzh Sargsyan's administration. In April 2008, he was appointed as a referent to the President, and in May 2008, he became Press Secretary to the President.


From 2010-2012, Farmanyan served as Director of News and Analytical Programs for the Public Television and Public Radio Companies of Armenia.


He began active political involvement in 2012, joining the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and becoming a member of the RPA Executive Body in 2016. From 2012-2017, he served as a Member of Parliament in the 5th convocation of the National Assembly, sitting on the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations. He headed the Armenian delegation to the Armenia-EU Parliamentary Cooperation Committee and was a member of the Armenian delegation to PACE, EuroNest, and other inter-parliamentary bodies. In 2017, he was elected to the 6th convocation of the National Assembly on the RPA national electoral list.


Following the 2018 government change, Farmanyan adopted an opposition stance, criticizing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's policies. In January 2019, he left the RPA and co-founded Quartet Media CJSC with Mihran Hakobyan, Arman Saghatelyan, and Karen Bekaryan. The company acquired Tert Am LLC, ArmNews CJSC, and Radio 107 FM LLC, which had previously been part of the PanArmenian media holding associated with Mikayel Minasyan, son-in-law of Armenia's third president, Serzh Sargsyan.


Farmanyan has taught at the History Faculty of Yerevan State University and the American University of Armenia. He ended his cooperation with the American University in August 2025, which he attributed to political pressure.

Media Companies / Groups

Media Outlets

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Radio

  • Radio 107 FM

Affiliated Interests Family & Friends
  • Anahit Farmanyan
    Anahit Farmanyan is the sister of Samvel Farmanyan. She served as Vice-Rector of Shirak State University. Following the 2018 government change, Farmanyan was charged with committing fraud on a particularly large scale through abuse of official position. An arrest warrant was issued, and she was placed on a wanted list. The measure of restraint was subsequently changed to personal guarantee, with Members of the National Assembly Naira Zohrabyan and Edmon Marukyan serving as her guarantors. Farmanyan subsequently left Armenia. She currently resides in Moscow, Russian Federation, and works at Moscow State University. Both Samvel Farmanyan and his sister maintain that the criminal case against her is politically motivated and directly related to Samvel Farmanyan's opposition activities.
  • Arman Saghatelyan
    Arman Saghatelyan (born August 26, 1975) is a co-founder of Quartet Media CJSC alongside Mihran Hakobyan. He holds a Candidate of Political Sciences degree and has extensive connections to Armenia's political and media establishment. Saghatelyan began his media career in 1991 on Armenian National Television and later held senior positions including director of ArmRadio FM 107 (2011-2013), Deputy General Director of PanArmenian Media Group (2012-2013), and Press Secretary to President Serzh Sargsyan (2013-2015). He served as Director of Public Radio of Armenia from 2015-2016. While working as an advisor in President Sargsyan's office (2010-2011), his uncle, Ara Saghatelyan, served as director of the same Public Relations and Information Center. In 2017, Saghatelyan was elected to the National Assembly as a non-partisan deputy on the Republican Party of Armenia electoral list. In January 2019, he co-founded Quartet Media CJSC with Hakobyan, Samvel Farmanyan, and Karen Bekaryan.
  • Mihran Hakobyan
    Mihran Hakobyan (born July 15, 1984) is a co-founder and majority shareholder of Quartet Media CJSC, holding 50% of shares. He holds a Candidate of Historical Sciences degree and specializes in international affairs. Hakobyan worked as a correspondent for Yerkir and 168 Zham (2003-2005) before transitioning to television production as producer for the Zham news program at Armenia TV Company (2014-2015) and director of news and political programs for Ararat TV Company (2015-2017). He joined the Republican Party of Armenia council in 2011 and served as assistant to Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan (2011-2014). In 2017, he was elected to the National Assembly on the RPA national electoral list. In January 2019, Hakobyan left the RPA and co-founded Quartet Media CJSC with Samvel Farmanyan, Arman Saghatelyan, and Karen Bekaryan. He became the majority shareholder in 2025 after acquiring Karen Bekaryan's 25% stake. Following the 2018 government change, Hakobyan faced criminal prosecutions as an opposition figure. He was charged with publicly justifying violence (December 2020) and violating martial law restrictions during a November 2020 assembly. Both cases were terminated due to lack of corpus delicti.
  • Karen Bekaryan
    Karen Bekaryan (born March 2, 1970) was a co-founder of Quartet Media CJSC alongside Mihran Hakobyan. He holds a Candidate of Sciences degree in Physics and Mathematics. Bekaryan worked in state service at the Ministry of Internal Affairs (1993-1999) and as an expert on the National Assembly's Foreign Relations Committee (1999-2010). He entered the media sector in 2003, hosting international analytical programs and serving in senior positions including director of the Armedia Information and Analytical Agency (2006-2010) and Deputy Director of News, Political, and Analytical Programs at Public Radio of Armenia (2010-2011). He later worked as an advisor in the President's office (2011-2015). Bekaryan chaired the European Integration NGO (2002-2018) and taught at multiple universities. He was elected to the National Assembly twice (2015-2017, 2017-2018) on the Republican Party of Armenia electoral list, serving as a non-partisan member on the Foreign Relations Committee. In January 2019, Bekaryan co-founded Quartet Media CJSC with Hakobyan, Samvel Farmanyan, and Arman Saghatelyan. In 2025, he withdrew from the company, transferring his 25% stake to Mihran Hakobyan, making Hakobyan the majority shareholder with 50% of shares. In February 2021, Bekaryan was charged with inciting national enmity and violating martial law regulations related to alleged involvement in managing a fake social media account during the 44-day war. He was detained but released three days later.
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Biographical data for Samvel Farmanyan and his associates are available in public sources.

Sources
Documents (PDF)
  • Quartet Media profile (Armenian)
    Link File
  • Quartet Media Beneficial ownership declaration (Armenian)
    Link File
  • Quartet Media CEO (Armenian)
    Link File
  • Quartet Media charter (Armenian)
    Link File
  • Quartet Media profile (Armenian)
    Link File
  • Quartet Media Beneficial ownership declaration (Armenian)
    Link File
  • Quartet Media CEO (Armenian)
    Link File
  • Quartet Media owners (Armenian)
    Link File
  • Quartet Media charter (Armenian)
    Link File