Armenian PM alleges Catholicos leads political movement Favoring ex-president Kocharyan's interests

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has asserted that the Catholicos of All Armenians currently leads a political movement, with former President Robert Kocharyan as its ultimate beneficiary.

During a press conference on May 7, as reported by Armenian media via Caliber.Az, Pashinyan pointed to a protest march led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan against the delimitation of borders with Azerbaijan as evidence of this political involvement.

Pashinyan suggested that the goal of this movement was to reinstall "predecessors or their predecessors" into power. He referenced statements made by the leader of the "Armenia" bloc, believed to be Kocharyan, in 2021 about a potential change of power in Armenia orchestrated through the church.

The Prime Minister argued that if the Catholicos blesses a movement, it effectively assumes leadership, emphasizing that a priest cannot make political statements without the permission or instruction of the Catholicos.