Opposition slams Armenian government over double standards and church interference

Armenian opposition MP Tadevos Avetisyan has accused the government of double standards, noting that former Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan, who secured 7% economic growth, is now facing criminal charges, while a former minister accused of failing in the social sector has been appointed ambassador to the United States.

Speaking at a briefing on Tuesday, the Hayastan faction MP argued that the government’s five-year program, set to conclude in 2026, “has completely failed” in addressing poverty and social inequality.

“The pledges made to 40% of Armenia’s population, including the poor, pensioners and low-income workers, remain unfulfilled,” he said.

Fellow opposition MP Garnik Danielyan criticized the government’s long-running campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church. He recalled that tensions began in 2018 with the “New Armenia, New Catholicos” movement and the removal of the History of the Armenian Church subject from school curricula.

“Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan once said the state should not interfere in church affairs,” Danielyan remarked. “What has changed? Now he not only interferes in church matters, but also tries to divide the church and turn it into a sect while attending a liturgy led by a defrocked priest. It’s a blatant violation of the constitution and the religious freedom law.”

Danielyan stressed the Armenian leadership’s “attempts to manipulate the church have failed”.