Pashinyan fears most powerful force – Sergey Stankevich on arrests of priests in Armenia

Speaking with Alpha News, Russian political scientist Sergey Stankevich commented on the arrests of priests in Armenia.

“Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, without fully ending the military conflict with Azerbaijan or signing a peace treaty, has for some reason decided to open a domestic front. Without stabilizing the external situation, he is unleashing an internal war—essentially a civil war. Fortunately, there have been no direct clashes in the streets so far, but the situation is already close. The reason can be understood as follows: he fears the most authoritative force, which could take a critical stance against the current government. Pashinyan has previously stated his intention to seize control of the Church, appoint priests himself, change its leadership, and place state protégés in key positions. Apparently, he has now decided to implement this plan. One would hope that this is not the case, as the prime minister’s true intentions are still unknown—they will become clear as events unfold,” the political scientist said.

According to the expert, if Pashinyan chooses to use state power to bring the Church under his control, this will be a dangerous turn of events, threatening Armenia’s stability.

“But if he truly decides to use state power to change the Church’s leadership and subordinate this institution to his control, this will be a dangerous turn of events, threatening Armenia’s stability. Moreover, the threat will be systemic and long-term. Even if Pashinyan initially succeeds with the support of security services and police, this will not mean victory—on the contrary, it could lead to a protracted civil conflict. One can only hope that the government will eventually find a way to engage in normal, respectful dialogue with the Church and find a solution that does not involve brutal administrative violence,” Stankevich said.