‘Armenia’ Bloc Reaffirms Support for Arch. Galstanyan and ‘Tavush for the Homeland’ Movement

A representative of the main opposition Hayastan alliance said on Monday that it remains allied to Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the leader of an anti-government movement sparked by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s territorial concessions to Azerbaijan.

Kritsine Vartanyan told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that the alliance led by former President Robert Kocharian will support further protests planned by Galstanyan “with all our tools, means and capabilities.”

Vartanyan and other Hayastan lawmakers gathered n a resort outside Yerevan late last week to discuss their further actions. Kocharian also attended the meeting that apparently lasted for two days. Few of its details were made public.

Vartanyan said that the ex-president, who has rarely made public statements for the last two years, did not issue any orders to his loyalists and only “exchanged views” with them.

“Our consensus-based approach is that all the tools we have at the moment should be used as actively as possible,” she said, adding that this includes strong involvement in renewed demonstrations which Galstanyan has pledged to launch next month.

The protests erupted in Armenia’s northern Tavush province in April following Pashinyan’s decision to cede four local border areas to Azerbaijan. Galstanyan, who headed the provincial diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, quickly emerged as their leader.

After failing to scuttle the land transfer, Galstanyan shifted the protests to Yerevan in early May to demand the prime minister’s resignation. His most recent rally in the capital took place on June 17.

The outspoken cleric, whose inner circle includes at least two other Hayastan parliamentarians, has put a brave face on his failure to topple Pashinyan so far. In recent weeks, he has toured various parts of the country in preparation for a renewed campaign for Pashinyan’s removal from power. He has shed little light on his further actions.

Vartanyan insisted that she believes there is sufficient public support for regime change in the country.

“I can say for certain that public mood has changed dramatically compared with 2020, 2021 and 2022 and there is really a chance to achieve change with the right steps and actions … The question is what instruments and approaches will be adopted,” added the 30-year-old lawmaker.