Catholicos in the mantle of a provocateur Futile efforts

A fervent advocate of Armenian revanchism — Catholicos of all Armenians Garegin II, steadfast in his path of war against Azerbaijan, once again tried to draw the international community’s attention to the “long-suffering” Armenians. Thus, during a meeting with ambassadors of the EU countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, who recently participated in a regional seminar, the head of the Armenian Church did not miss the opportunity to intercede on behalf of the former leaders of the Karabakh junta currently detained in Baku.

Let us recall that an open court hearing is underway in Baku regarding criminal cases against citizens of the Republic of Armenia Arayik Harutyunyan, Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, David Babayan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, and others, who are accused of committing crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes including the preparation and waging of aggressive war, genocide, violation of the laws and customs of war, as well as terrorism, financing terrorism, violent seizure or violent retention of power, and numerous other crimes.

Let’s return to the Catholicos. Yerevan media, revealing details of Garegin II’s meeting with the head of the EU ambassadors’ delegation to Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Vassilis Maragos, enthusiastically reported that he “thoroughly enlightened the European diplomats about the security challenges facing the Armenian people.” It should be noted that the chief spiritual leader of the “land of stones” has been actively spreading this nonsense for the past five years, ever since Armenia suffered a crushing defeat in the 44-day war in Karabakh. And after Azerbaijan fully restored its territorial integrity and sovereignty in September 2023, Garegin’s long list of absurd accusations against Baku was further filled with wild fantasies about the “violent seizure of Artsakh” and demands to “protect the rights of the displaced Artsakh Armenians and to return Armenian prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan.”

The entire verbal jumble from the Catholicos had to be endured by the European delegation as well. However, this time he also diluted it with ramblings about the “destruction and appropriation of Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage in Artsakh,” which is essentially the climax of vile lies and dirty slander tirelessly propagated by the Karabakh clan.

Regarding Garegin’s expectations from this meeting in terms of his hopes for the “return of Armenian prisoners of war,” he will have to be disappointed — once again, these hopes will not be fulfilled, just as they weren’t before. Let us recall that on May 10, he raised these same topics during a meeting with delegates of the annual conference of the European Association of Judges (EAJ) in Armenia, where he repeated the Armenian narratives verbatim, starting with the fabricated “ethnic cleansing in Karabakh” and ending with the notorious issue of “Armenian prisoners of war” in Baku.

A month earlier, in April, the Echmiadzin office reported that the Catholicos asked German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to raise the issue of the “release of Armenian prisoners of war” during his visit to Azerbaijan. However, the German president’s visit programme in Baku proved to be a complete disappointment not only for the Armenian Church but for the entire global Armenian community. Even before meeting with President Ilham Aliyev, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender visited the Alley of Martyrs, where they laid a wreath at the “Eternal Flame” memorial. This was a clear demonstration of the highest respect for the memory of Azerbaijani martyrs who died in the wars with Armenia, which undoubtedly sent an unpleasant signal to the propagandists of Armenian revanchism, including Garegin himself. And in joint statements to the press with the Azerbaijani president, Steinmeier declared that Karabakh is Azerbaijan — a direct and clear position of official Berlin.

“We know and recognize that the Karabakh region is the territory of Azerbaijan. This is our position, and this position can also be specified by Azerbaijan,” Steinmeier emphasised.

Moreover, the German president did not utter a single word in Baku about the return of “Armenian prisoners of war” or the “rights of Armenians of Karabakh.”

This fact should be considered from several perspectives: firstly, as a clear confirmation by Germany of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity; secondly, as the policy of non-interference by a leading EU country in Baku’s internal affairs. This approach by the German government fully aligns with Azerbaijan’s policy, which is based on the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other states.

Baku, for its part, has repeatedly delivered clear messages that under no circumstances and from no one will it tolerate interference in its internal affairs, including the issue of those who have appeared before the Baku Military Court.

So, no matter how much the Armenian high clergy pleads, trying to evoke sympathy from the international community, all their efforts will remain futile.