Archbishop Galstanyan's "holy war" against peace and prosperity in South Caucasus Armenian Apostolic Church grants indulgence for murder

Essentially, it was a confession of guilt. "Yes, I consider myself a revanchist and I'm going to live like that until the last second of my life," said the head of the Tavush Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC), Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, preaching on December 17.

I would very much like to see the reaction to this provocative statement from the side of the MEPs, who are making anti-Azerbaijani statements, as well as from the side of the French president, senators, mayors of cities, who are opposing the holding of COP29 in Baku. But they are unlikely to condemn this Armenian archbishop. Nor will he be denounced by the members of Congress who have long lobbied on behalf of the Armenian diaspora in the USA. The former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, who has turned himself into a lawyer for the Armenians, will choose a similar model of behaviour.

Meanwhile, this is a very revealing admission by another Armenian provocateur in a cassock. "We should think that we are doing God's work on earth, the restoration of justice, truth and salvation. And yes, this is the way of revenge. What other way is there to restore one's homeland?" is how Archbishop Galstanyan preaches. This preaches violence, territorial claims, and an indulgence to kill Azerbaijanis.

It should be noted that at the very moment when the hope of signing a peace agreement between Baku and Yerevan was glimmering, all these terrible things are being heard which are pushing the Armenian people towards new wars and tragedies. Archbishop Galstanyan confessed to revanchism a few days after the exchange of Azerbaijani and Armenian soldiers. He urged his parishioners to do the same. I wonder what the head of the European Council, Charles Michel, and all those who welcomed the first real steps for peace taken by Baku and Yerevan, will say about it.

Let me remind you that the head of the Tavush Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church made speeches that smelled of blood a mile away. The Tavush region of Armenia borders the Tovuz region of Azerbaijan. And how can one not remember that in July 2020 there were clashes provoked by the Armenian military along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border? Official Yerevan lied at the time and tried to pin the blame on Azerbaijan for what happened. But in the end, according to former president Robert Kocharyan, the clashes were provoked by Armenia. And Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that "a geographical factor also served as a kind of trigger: the Armenian side's decision to reopen an old border checkpoint located 15 kilometres from Azerbaijan's export pipelines caused heightened fears on the part of some, an unjustified reaction on the part of others, and ultimately fuelled the confrontation with the most unpredictable consequences."

And now, three years later, we hear from the rector of the AAC diocese of Tavush words full of aspirations to send his flock to a new war, which will end in their senseless death. In this regard, the role of the AAC in fuelling the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict came to mind. In particular, the former Catholicos of Armenians Vazgen I immediately approved the territorial claims of Armenia to Azerbaijan. For example, on February 25, 1988, Vazgen I sent an open letter to Mikhail Gorbachev demanding the annexation of Karabakh to Armenia.

Garegin II was engaged in the same incitement, justification of territorial claims to the neighbouring state, and spreading primitive lies. And how can one not recall the notorious Pargev Martirosyan, who fled to the USA, pretending to be the leader of the "Artsakh" diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church? Armenian blogger Roman Baghdasaryan often talks about him, by the way. "You should discuss Pargev, who, as soon as the war ended, fled Karabakh. Aren't you a holy father? Where did you run away to? Think about it: the holy father ran away from Karabakh, and abandoned the people. And when Shusha was taken over in 1992, it was Pargev who was in charge of Shusha's apartment allocation. Who do you think you are? How can you get into Azerbaijani flats and distribute them? Give out Azerbaijani flats at will. You gave a two-room flat to one person, and a three-room flat to another! Can a holy father touch flats where Azerbaijani children were laughing, where a woman was giving birth to her child? Why did you do it? We must tell the truth," Baghdasaryan told then.

Yes, this is the true face of those who, dressed up in a soutan, deprived Armenia of the past and now deprive it of the future. They have enriched themselves and Armenia has become a loser state in the South Caucasus. Now Armenia may have a hope to get rid of this status. But this is precisely what the AAC does not wish, which has always been playing, is playing and will play a very dangerous role for the Armenian nation, which will lead them to new provocations, war, defeat, blood and tears. And the shameful statement of Archbishop Galstanyan, the head of the AAC diocese of Tavush, full of hatred towards the neighbours, is another eloquent proof of this.