Dissolving the Armenian Apostolic Church is Pashinyan’s goal

Over the weekend, Azerbaijan not only congratulated Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his 50th birthday but also actively commented on his public conflict with the Armenian Apostolic Church, which resulted in insults from Pashinyan and his wife, Anna Hakobyan, to the Armenian clergy. The clergy were accused of pedophilia, repeated violations of celibacy, and even having relations with the wives of their relatives.

The underlying motive behind these comments aligns with recent statements by Azerbaijan’s spiritual leader, Allahshukur Pashazade, who labeled the Armenian Apostolic Church a “threat to neighbors” and accused it of “revanchism.”

One of the triggers that forced Pashinyan to launch an open attack on the church could be the conference held last week in Switzerland. On the initiative of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and at the suggestion of the Catholicos of All Armenians, the World Council of Churches organized the international conference “Religious Freedom: Preservation of the Armenian Spiritual, Cultural and Historical Heritage in Artsakh” in Switzerland.

At the opening of the conference, His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II sharply criticized Baku’s actions, stressing that Azerbaijan is holding former political leaders, civilians and prisoners of war of Nagorno-Karabakh hostage, conducting fabricated trials against them, accompanied by gross violations of international law.

It is obvious that Pashinyan and Pashazade will not achieve the immediate dissolution of the Armenian Apostolic Church, but in the context of the constitutional changes imposed by Azerbaijan, the current campaign against the church is a convenient excuse to remove Article 18 from the basic law of Armenia, which states, “The Republic of Armenia recognizes the exclusive mission of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church as the national church in the spiritual life of the Armenian people, in the development of its national culture and the preservation of its national identity.”

Amid Pashinyan and Hakobyan’s attacks on the church, ordinary members of the Civil Contract party, as well as information resources serving the authorities, became more active. From actor and political commentator Gnel Sargsyan to member of the Civil Contract faction Hasmik Hakobyan, many have actively joined the campaign to discredit the Armenian Apostolic Church.

For some, this is a way to make money; for others, it is a chance to cement their place within the party’s new political council and secure a higher position on the proportional list in the upcoming elections.

And all this is happening against the background of recent statements by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, both of whom acknowledged that tensions remain around Syunik and steps are being taken to prevent a military invasion.

Paradoxically, Armenia faces attacks both externally and internally. Baku and Ankara are blackmailing Yerevan, pushing it to make concessions that could put an end to Armenian statehood, and the country’s authorities, instead of countering external threats, are contributing to the interests of Azerbaijan.

Who truly benefits from attacking the Armenian Apostolic Church?

Think about it…