Armenia’s church finance under spotlight while police chief faces sudden ouster PHOTO

Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party, led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, is preparing to introduce legislation aimed at enhancing financial transparency and accountability within the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Artur Hovhannisyan, secretary of the parliamentary faction, announced the initiative on his Facebook page, highlighting strong public support for the measure, Caliber.Az reports.

“On Saturday and Sunday I posted a small poll on my Facebook page, which asked the following question: should the Armenian Apostolic Church be financially accountable to the state? 2,679 users took part in the poll: yes – 96% (2,575), no – 4% (104). It is necessary to carry out legislative work in this direction,” Hovhannisyan wrote, signaling the faction’s intent to draft a bill to ensure the church’s financial oversight by the government.

In a separate development, Prime Minister Pashinyan has dismissed Aram Hovhannisyan, the Yerevan police chief and Deputy Interior Minister, from his position.

The decision, formalized by Pashinyan’s order, comes without publicly disclosed reasons. Aram Hovhannisyan has served in Armenia’s internal affairs sector since 1990 and was appointed head of the Yerevan police on January 9, 2023.

By Vafa Guliyeva