Archbishop Bagrat denied entry into border village

Police officers on Monday barred Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the leader of a protest movement against the Armenian government’s unilateral territorial concessions to Azerbaijan, from entering the border village of Kirants in Armenia’s Tavush Province.

A large contingent of police forces was deployed to Kirants ahead of the senior cleric’s visit.

“No one has blocked my way so far,” Archbishop Bagrat said, condemning the police.

Kirants would he hit hardest by the territorial concessions as it would lose not only its agricultural lands, but also some of its houses and a key bridge connecting it to the rest of Armenia.

The Armenian and Azerbaijani deputy prime ministers signed a protocol formalizing the handover of four Tavush border areas to Baku on May 15.