Government’s campaign against Church is outright lawlessness – The People Speak

As part of “The People Speak” project, Alpha News conducted surveys in Yerevan and Armenian-populated communities in the United States and Russia to determine citizens’ opinions on the most pressing issues of the day.

“I believe that we need to take a position in favor of Russia—that would be the most correct thing to do,” one respondent noted.

Addressing the topic of relations with Turkey, citizens emphasized that they need to be improved, but at the same time, sovereignty, identity, and dignity must not be lost.

“This is a controversial issue. It might be good for the people to improve relations, but the Genocide cannot be forgotten. Partnership is only possible in business and food supplies, but fraternal relations between Turks and Armenians are impossible,” stated survey participants.

One of the respondents noted that the Armenian people themselves are to blame for the current situation, having succumbed to cheap populist rhetoric.

Others added: “There were good and bad times in the past, but the military actions exposed all the weaknesses. Pashinyan is more likely to be responsible—he’s done a lot.”

Speaking about the government’s campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church, survey participants emphasized that the Church cannot be used for political purposes.

“Unfortunately, this doesn’t reflect well on our nation; the situation isn’t very good. The Church shouldn’t be involved in political matters—it’s absolutely unreasonable. Frankly, it’s completely illegal,” said one respondent.

Citizens also touched on the arrest of national philanthropist and entrepreneur Samvel Karapetyan, noting that everyone has the right to express their opinion.

“A man who always helped the people expressed his personal opinion—and he was detained. This is wrong. He is an important person for Armenia. It is very bad that this happened. I hope he is released soon,” respondents emphasized.