Armenian vice-speaker calls to protect Church from terrorists, perjurers

The Vice-Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, Ruben Rubinyan, has urged law enforcement authorities to safeguard the Armenian Apostolic Church from "perjurers and supporters of terrorism."

Rubinyan appealed to Facebook, addressing Ktrich Nersisyan (known as Garegin II) and his supporters, Caliber.Az reports.

He called on them to cease what he described as an “anti-church, unlawful campaign” and focus instead on addressing the serious issues facing the Church, which he linked to Nersisyan’s alleged perjury and the purported involvement of some clergy in planning terrorism and a coup.

Rubinyan also appealed to competent church bodies and clergy to take all necessary and lawful measures to prevent this "anti-church process."

He praised the devotion of the Armenian people to their Mother Church and their fervent desire to protect the spiritual centre of Armenian identity and sacred relics from perjurers and terrorists.

“Children of our nation should not fall prey to the provocations of the perjurer Ktrich Nersisyan and some of his subordinates, who dream of shooting people. They must remain vigilant and level-headed, and unite with faith and prayer in the face of current trials. Katolikosat — to the Majestic!” Rubinyan wrote.

This comes amid a tense backdrop in Armenia, where archbishops Bagrat Galstanyan and Narek Adjahyan, along with several supporters, have been arrested on charges including attempting an armed coup, preparing terrorist acts, inciting mass unrest, calling for power seizure, and rejecting the country’s sovereignty.

By Aghakazim Guliyev