Catholicos Karekin II, Easter Service, Etchmiadzin, Armenia © Onnik James Krkorian 2016
Armenia finds itself in deepening discord between its political and religious elites. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s unprecedented public attacks on Catholicos Karekin II, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, mark further escalation in a personal feud waged since the 2018 Velvet Revolution. It has worsened each year since, and not least since Karekin II approved the participation of his own clergy to join protests against Pashinyan in 2022 and for one to lead them in 2024.
The prime minister accused the Catholicos of violating his vow of celibacy and fathering a child, allegations that surfaced in the media over a decade ago but have now resurfaced with much sharper rhetoric. Pashinyan’s wife, Anna Hakobyan, even compared clergy to pedophiles, a provocative charge that many believe is intended to silence dissent ahead of a possible peace agreement with Azerbaijan and parliamentary elections set for next year.
[…]
Though the government has alleged strong links between Etchmiadzin and Moscow in the past, the squabble ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections has taken on a more distinct and obvious geopolitical tone and should ring alarm bells. Yerevan had already accused Moscow of waging a hybrid war against it. If that was to escalate, then an already volatile situation could prove explosive, while Pashinyan instead eyes normalising ties with Azerbaijan and Turkiye as a potential vote winner.
[…]
There is still only a little less than a full year until election day. Meanwhile, another major conflict, this time between Iran and Israel, has emerged on the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan, adding even more geopolitical uncertainty into the mix. The coming year was, anyway unpredictable. It is even more so now.
The full piece is available here.
