Pashinyan rules out clashes

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan rules out clashes after the situation around the Mother See of Holy Etchmiatsin.

"It became clear who was inciting the clashes at the Mother See. When they saw that law enforcement officers refused to succumb to provocations, they turned on each other in fistfights. There will be no clashes,” Pashinyan said on Facebook hours after law enforcement agencies attempted to arrest Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan on charges of advocating for overthrow of government. 

He added, “The faithful flock of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church will liberate its holiest sanctity—the Mother See – in a Christian manner…” He said the faithful will hand over the patriarchal seat to a true patriarch, a reference to his accusations targeting the incumbent Catholicos Karekin II. Pashinyan has repeatedly accused Karekin II, among other senior clergymen, of illegitimately holding office. He said Karekin II and numerous other clergy have violated their vow of celibacy and are thus illegitimate according to the church canon law and shall step down.