Arman Tatoyan joins march to Yerevan

Former Armenian Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan, who currently runs the Tatoyan Foundation, has joined a protest march from Tavush Province to Yerevan.

The march led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, Primate of the Tavush Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, aims to halt the handover of Tavush border areas to Azerbaijan as part of a delimitation deal.

The march began in the border village of Kirants on 4 May following non-stop protests against the unilateral territorial concessions to Azerbaijan announced by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government on 19 April.

“This is a struggle for our rights, an existential struggle. The ongoing process is not part of a border delimitation. It’s an illegal process that does not meet international principles and undermines the security system of the country,” Tatoyan announced after joining the march on Tuesday.

He denounced the “extremely vicious” campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church waged by members of the ruling Civil Contract party.

“We have seen how MPs from the ruling party openly attack the Armenian Church and Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan. In addition to committing crimes stipulated by the Penal Code adopted during their rule, they are attacking the foundations of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is unacceptable and reprehensible,” Tatoyan underscored.