Pressure on clergy aligns with pre-election logic – Alexander Krylov

Speaking with Alpha News, Alexander Krylov, Chief Researcher at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), commented on the Armenian authorities’ actions against the church. According to the expert, all forces potentially dangerous to the current Armenian government are subject to systematic and severe pressure.

“All of this is happening in line with the election campaign that has already begun: parliamentary elections are next year. Therefore, all opponents of the current government are being subjected to various forms of pressure. Some have been arrested, while others are being ousted from power—like the Catholicos, for example. Some clergy have also been arrested or are under pressure. Businessmen are also being subjected to the same pressure: we are seeing arrests and harsh measures. All forces potentially dangerous to the current government are being systematically and harshly pressured,” Krylov said.

According to the expert, everything is being done today to split and destroy the Armenian Apostolic Church.

“There are historical precedents. Henry VIII once abolished the Catholic Church and created his own. Therefore, if Nikol Pashinyan believes the Armenian Apostolic Church is ‘incorrect,’ one can assume an attempt to create an alternative structure. Whether he himself will lead it remains unclear. Today, everything is being done to split and destroy the Armenian Apostolic Church. This church has ensured the survival of the Armenian people for many centuries: without it, Armenians as a nation might not have survived. However, the current government, apparently, is setting different goals—either in line with globalization, where the population is asked to discard ‘unnecessary baggage’ that hinders progress toward a ‘bright future,’ or to discard their own culture, religion, and identity, becoming a community of ‘free citizens’ without nationality or faith. We are seeing similar processes in Europe; the crisis of the Christian Church there is obvious. Everything happening in Armenia fits into this broader globalist context,” Krylov concluded.