Media: Armenian PM rebukes chief of staff over failed anti-church campaign

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sharply reprimanded his chief of staff, Arayik Harutyunyan, over the handling of the government’s campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church, executive sources say.

According to the information obtained by the Armenian newspaper Iravunk, the tense exchange took place after a recent Armenian government meeting, Caliber.Az reports.

Pashinyan was said to have accused Harutyunyan of failing to deliver results after previously reportedly assuring the prime minister that he would personally manage the issue. 

The prime minister reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with how the campaign was conducted and questioned what concrete outcomes had been achieved.

Tensions between the Armenian authorities and the Armenian Apostolic Church have escalated in recent months following a series of sharp statements by Pashinyan directed at the clergy and his initiative to revise the procedure for electing the Catholicos, which would grant the state a decisive role in the process.

Pashinyan has publicly questioned the suitability of Garegin II to continue serving as Catholicos. At the same time, law enforcement agencies have detained or questioned several senior clerics on allegations ranging from incitement to suspected coup plotting. By late 2025, pressure on the Church leadership intensified further, with pro-government figures openly calling for Garegin II’s resignation and discussions emerging about possible interim leadership arrangements within the Church.

By Sabina Mammadli