Armenian official alleges coup cover-up, slams church for “terrorist training”

In an explosive statement posted to social media, Arayik Harutyunyan, Chief of Staff to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, accused elements within the Armenian Apostolic Church of orchestrating a coup attempt and training what he described as a “division of terrorist clergymen.”

The remarks have drawn sharp public attention, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

Harutyunyan alleged that opposition figures, in collaboration with senior clergy, were seeking to destabilize the government to obscure their own criminal activities. “You ask what are the motives for planning coups?” he wrote. “Some, instead of building defensive fortifications, built themselves homes on Lake Sevan and shielded military positions with tin cans.”

Referencing ongoing legal proceedings, Harutyunyan cited Armenia’s Prosecutor General, who has requested that parliament lift the immunity of former Defence Minister and current MP Seyran Ohanyan. Ohanyan is accused of illegally constructing a residence on state-protected land near Lake Sevan, allegedly financed through kickbacks within the Ministry of Defence during his tenure prior to the 2016 April War.

According to Harutyunyan, these investigations have prompted certain opposition figures to pursue a coup in order to evade prosecution. He escalated his claims by alleging the existence of a “terrorist division” within the clergy. “Not one, not two, and not three — a whole division of terrorists has formed in your ranks. Are you okay with that?” he asked, directly addressing the Armenian Church hierarchy.

He further accused Catholicos Garegin II, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and Archbishop Ktrich Nersisyan of not only protecting these individuals but also personally violating their own religious vows. “All this under the high patronage and blessing of Ktrich Nersisyan and Catholicos Garegin II, who broke his vow of celibacy,” Harutyunyan claimed.

By Vafa Guliyeva