Catholicoses, Dashnaks pushing Armenians into new war with Azerbaijan ...And into another defeat

The Armenian media outlets have recently reported that the upcoming Global Armenian Summit in Yerevan will be held without the Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, Head of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I and the Dashnaks.

The news not only is very curious but also gives ground for thoughts. Although it is difficult to imagine that the platform calling all Armenians to unity will be held this time without the most ardent propagandists of the notorious ideology of creating "Great Armenia from sea to sea" and fanatical preachers of Armenian chauvinism.

Both Catholicos declined to participate in the forum, citing an "unfavourable atmosphere" in Armenia, and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun [ARFD] provided no explanation. However, it is well known that, as a result of the events of two years ago, when Armenia suffered a crushing defeat in the 44-day war, its spiritual leaders and political ideologists do not want anything to do with the treacherous, in their opinion, Pashinyan regime.

Karekin II even appealed to the prime minister in December 2020 to resign. Then Head of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I made a similar appeal to Pashinyan. During that period, the representatives of 17 opposition parties were protesting near Pashinyan's government dacha. The protesters demanded Pashinyan's resignation by December 8, 2020. While commenting on the demand of the Catholicos for the prime minister's resignation, a representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church said in January 2021 that Pashinyan was responsible for the outcome of the autumn aggravation of the conflict in Karabakh region and that he was unable to improve the situation. There is no doubt that the representatives of the Armenian clergy launched an open demarche against the current authorities to support Karekin. For example, when the prime minister entered Gara Kilse (Armenians call it "Sisian"), priest Pargev Zeynalyan defiantly did not shake his hand, expressing dissatisfaction with the situation in the country. After the incident, the church was surrounded by outraged supporters of Pashinyan, while Zeynalyan was threatened with reprisals.

As the church has always played an important role in Armenian history, its discontent with the authorities posed a threat to Pashinyan's rule, at least for that moment. However, the protest statements of the Armenian spiritual leaders addressed to the country's leadership, continue to be issued in the current post-conflict period. Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II has recently expressed concern about the "threats to Armenia's territorial integrity" and the "status of Karabakh" which has been eliminated. While speaking at the opening ceremony of the congress of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) in Yerevan, he called on the Armenian people to consolidate "to overcome the horrors of the 44-day war with Azerbaijan".

Of course, all this confirms the provocative activity of the Armenian spiritual leaders, and the main problem is that the idea of revanchism is promoted by churches, rather than it is directed against Pashinyan's policy. Both Catholicoses, despising the mission of the high priest, which is to promote peace, use their powers to incite hatred and a new war with Azerbaijan, while further increasing the split in Armenian society and hindering the establishment of an adequate dialogue with neighbouring countries - Türkiye and Azerbaijan.

The statement of pontifical envoy-at-large of the Catholicos of All Armenians Pargev Martirosian made in April 2021 can be cited as another example of the military propaganda of the Armenian clergy. He urged the Armenian people to believe that "there will be victory", adding that "it is not enough to believe in it, it is not enough to wait for it, it is necessary to contribute to this and do everything standing shoulder to shoulder". This is an open appeal for misanthropy, new bloodshed, and another defeat of the Armenian people, is not it? Contrary to Christian postulates, the Armenian Apostolic Church ignores the numerous facts of mass graves of Azerbaijanis, and the torture of civilians and prisoners of war in the liberated Azerbaijani territories. More mass graves of Azerbaijanis who died during the first Karabakh war have been recently discovered in Edilli village in the Khojavand district and Fuzuli city in Azerbaijan's Karabakh region. The corresponding agencies revealed that Azerbaijani citizens taken hostage by the Armenian military during the first Karabakh war and killed after they were severely tortured were haphazardly buried in Edilli village.

As for the confrontation between the Armenian authorities and the Dashnaks, it began long ago and continues up till now. For example, European Dashnak Masis Abrahamyan was not allowed to enter Yerevan at the Zvartnots airport in August 2022. Co-president of the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organisations of France, famous Dashnak Mourad Papazian, who became famous in certain circles as one of the authors of the resolution on the recognition of the so-called "NKR" within the borders of 1994 adopted by the French National Assembly was not allowed to enter Yerevan at the Zvartnots airport and he had to return to France in July 2022.
After Armenia's defeat in the 44-day Karabakh war, its diaspora in France, led by Papazian, almost cursed Pashinyan, accusing him of betraying the Armenian nation.
The Dashnaks zealously oppose the recognition of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and the renunciation of claims to Karabakh, and, as a result, they oppose the signing of a peace agreement with Baku and the normalisation of relations with Ankara. In this regard, Dashnaktsutyun is conducting an open campaign against Pashinyan, which gives the Armenian prime minister every reason to use methods of retaliatory coercion.

Taking into account the factor of the Dashnaks as the leading force of the Diaspora, one should not underestimate their influence on the processes connected with Armenia. That's why numerous demonstrators who took to the streets of Yerevan in April 2022 calling for the overthrow of Pashinyan were led by Dashnak Ishkhan Saghatelyan. It is curious that the united forces of revanchists led by ex-presidents of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and Robert Kocharyan also took part in these rallies.

By the way, the political struggle between the Dashnaks and Pashinyan began even before Armenia's devastating defeat in the second Karabakh war. Domestic political tension between these two political forces escalated in May 2019, after a year earlier (in December 2018) Dashnaktsutyun received only 48,811 votes (3.89 per cent) in the elections and failed to enter parliament. On the other hand, Saghatelyan's statement made in February 2022 that Dashnaktsutyun sees a way out of the current situation in the "formation of a nationwide resistance in Armenia, Karabakh and the Diaspora", is an open call for revenge, which runs counter to the current policy of Yerevan, which agreed to Azerbaijan's peace agenda and the establishment of diplomatic relations with Türkiye at least in words and with numerous reservations. Saghatelyan also spoke about the nationwide resistance during a rally held in November 2021, calling for street and political struggle.

All these facts show that the ideas of revanchism will continue to be promoted in Armenian society in the future at the suggestion of the Dashnaks and spiritual leaders of Armenia further aggravating the unenviable position of Armenia, bringing it to the line of no return.