Mother See targeted for confronting Azerbaijan’s aggressive policies: Opposition lawmaker

The recent attacks against the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin are not accidental, claims opposition lawmaker Tigran Abrahamyan.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Abrahamyan noted that the campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church began shortly after Azerbaijan’s religious leader announced the formation of a so-called “spiritual council” in “Western Azerbaijan”, which was soon followed by a wave of targeted attacks on the church.

“The reason is that the Mother See has taken an active stance against Azerbaijan’s aggressive policies, not only opposing the destruction and appropriation of Armenian religious heritage in Artsakh but also, to some extent, stepping into the role of the state in defending the collective rights of the Armenian people,” the Pativ Unem faction MP wrote.

Abrahamyan emphasized that the church has consistently condemned Azerbaijan’s territorial claims against Armenia and reiterated that the Artsakh issue remains unresolved.

He also denounced Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s remarks at Thursday’s cabinet meeting, accusing him of attempting to discredit the Armenian church. Abrahamyan described Pashinyan’s subsequent Facebook post as “disgraceful” and a new low.

“The authorities clearly aim to erode the nation’s moral and value systems, weakening the people and the state and accelerating the complete surrender of the country,” Abrahamyan stated.