‘Pashinyan is a noose around the neck of the Armenian people’ – Semyon Bagdasarov

Speaking with Alpha News, Director of the Center for the Study of the Middle East and Central Asia Semyon Bagdasarov commented on the attack of the Armenian authorities on the Armenian Church.

According to the expert, this attack was carried out at the behest of Armenia’s historical enemies—Turkey and Azerbaijan.

“I think it was not by chance that Erdogan received Pashinyan at his request, and after returning from there, he sharply stepped up his activities against the church. Pashinyan really wants a peace agreement—not to secure peace for Armenia, but to safeguard his own hold on power. He is ready to capitulate, but he wants to capitulate in such a way as to risk absolutely nothing. The hope is that Mr. Erdogan will put pressure on the leadership of Azerbaijan and they will sign this agreement. What Azerbaijan wants, Turkey wants; and what Turkey wants, Azerbaijan wants. They want the so-called ‘Zangezur corridor’ and the return of 300,000 Azerbaijanis to Armenia,” Bagdasarov said.

The expert noted that Erdogan understands that Pashinyan and his team will lose the elections next year and a new government will come, which may reverse the agreements signed under Pashinyan.

“It turns out that there will be a capitulation, a betrayal on the part of Pashinyan and his team. But the agreement will not suit any new government, and they can annul it. So, the question is, how can Pashinyan extend his time in power? The first option is to provoke a conflict, clashes, unrest in Armenia, declare a state of emergency, cancel the elections. That’s the most extreme scenario. The less drastic option, if that fails, is to weaken the opposition by arresting several of its leaders.

The Armenian Church is aligned with the opposition due to its patriotic stance and thus represents a major force. That’s why the authorities have set their sights on the Church and the opposition. The leadership of the Armenian Apostolic Church must clearly understand that Pashinyan will not get rid of only two or three clergymen, he will destroy the entire Armenian Apostolic Church under any pretext,” Bagdasarov noted.