Armenian PM’s Office questions frequent Swiss trips of Garegin II

Arayik Harutyunyan, head of the Armenian Prime Minister’s office, has commented on the statement by Archimandrite Ter Gusan Alchanyan, locum of the Armenian Eparchy in Switzerland, regarding his support for the Coordination Council.

“Who, if not Alchanyan, knows why Ktrich (Catholicos Garegin II — ed.) travels to Switzerland so often? I welcome the bold step of the locum of the eparchy,” Harutyunyan said, Caliber.Az reports via Armenian media.

He added that Archimandrite Ter Gusan Alchanyan, welcoming the creation of the Coordination Council formed by the Prime Minister of Armenia and ten clergymen, announced that he joins them and accepts the content of the Declaration and the roadmap.

In 2025, tensions between the Armenian government and the Armenian Apostolic Church sharply increased. The conflict was fueled by scandals, including leaked videos showing alleged misconduct by clergy members, as well as direct accusations from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. He claimed that Catholicos Garegin II had broken his celibacy vows, maintained ties to foreign influences, and actively opposed government policies—particularly the peace process with Azerbaijan following Armenia's loss of Karabakh in 2023.

Garegin II and his supporters have condemned these attacks as politically motivated persecution, aimed at silencing the church's criticism of the government ahead of the 2026 parliamentary elections. The situation has worsened with police raids on the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the church's historic headquarters, and the arrest of several senior clerics, deepening the divide between state and church.

By Khagan Isayev