Armenia`s leader forced into surrendering Homeland`s territories - clergyman 

ArmInfo. Now, on this road, the fate of Armenian statehood is being decided, and as we have  repeatedly emphasized, the illegal process initiated by the Armenian  government with its various partners is unacceptable to us, the  leader of the Tavush diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Bagrat  Galstyan, stated on April 27 in a conversation with journalists on  the blocked Voskepar-Kirants road.

In this vein, the clergyman proposed clarifying the position of the  gathered Tavush residents in order to put an end to various kinds of  speculation on the part of pro-government media, social media and  individuals.

"The following happened: from a legal point of view, under duress  from an enemy country, the current head of the government of Armenia,  almost single-handedly decided to make unilateral concessions on the  part of our Motherland, at the expense of the borders of our state.  And our protest is precisely about this.  This violates the laws of  the Republic of Armenia, regulations regarding delimitation and  demarcation, as well as principles of international treaties", he  said. 

The representative of the clergy also touched upon the moral aspect  of the current situation, emphasizing that the current authorities  had already deceived people four times within a week, culminating in  the incident that occurred last night. "Last night, unknown persons  in a car with tinted windows and without license plates, accompanied  by the governor of this region and other officials, arrived and  secretly drove into the so-called surrendered territories. And they  committed some actions unknown to us. The indignation of people was  associated precisely with this behavior of those who were in this car  and they demanded that those who were hiding in this car come out to  the people and explain what they were doing. They also wanted to  know, if their actions were pure, truthful and transparent, why were  they hiding behind darkened windows? And the people opposed this  lie," the clergyman noted, adding that there is a suspicion that the  deputy prime ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan were in this car.

According to him, the current authorities are forcing people to give  up their houses, promising to provide them with new ones in other  places. "But these authorities forget that the same residents of  Kirants gave their lives to live on their land in their homes, this  border was held at the expense of the lives of these villagers,"  recalled Bagrat Galstyan, calling the authorities' attempts to shift  responsibility for their decisions to unacceptable people of these  villages.

The clergyman also emphasized that the Armenian authorities, by their  behavior, entering the village in cars without license plates with  tinted windows, gave rise to suspicion among residents. He noted that  instead of clearly explaining to the village residents what was  happening, the authorities preferred to bring special police forces -  popularly known as "black berets" - to the scene of the incident.  Bagrat Galstyan also noted that during the clash between the police  forces and the gathered residents, a flash-noise grenade was used,  and both citizens and police officers were injured.

According to him, the current authorities are forcing people to give  up their houses, promising to provide them with new ones in other  places. "But these authorities forget that the same residents of  Kirants gave their lives to live on their land in their homes, this  border was held at the expense of the lives of these villagers,"  recalled Bagrat Galstyan, calling the authorities' attempts to shift  responsibility for their decisions to unacceptable people of these  villages.

The clergyman also emphasized that the Armenian authorities, by their  behavior, entering the village in cars without license plates with  tinted windows, gave rise to suspicion among residents. He noted that  instead of clearly explaining to the village residents what was  happening, the authorities preferred to bring special police forces -  popularly known as "black berets" - to the scene of the incident.  Bagrat Galstyan also noted that during the clash between the police  forces and the gathered residents, a flash-noise grenade was used,  and both citizens and police officers were injured.

Bagrat Galstyan called on the police to act within the framework of  their powers, and decide who they serve - the people or lies. "I  appeal to all police departments - behave as an Armenian man should -  in your own opinion. Look at yourself through the eyes of your wives  and children - you are on duty, not servants.  You cannot intimidate  us. You are not Mongols or Arabs , do not implement illegal  decisions," Galstyan urged.

Bagrat Galstyan expressed his conviction that yesterday's incident  again occurred on the direct orders of the head of government, in  order to completely humiliate these people.

"This people, here on this border, has worthily maintained the honor  of all Armenia and the Armenians for 30 years. First individually,  and then with the assistance of the Armenian army. But they did not  leave this land, did not leave the cemetery, school, church,  kindergarten, holding the gates of the borders of Armenia "No one can  argue that they were worthy border guards," Galstyan noted, calling  on people not to be indifferent to what is happening.

"Stop living like snails. Think about what is happening, be honest  with your conscience. This is not a question for the residents of  Kirants, they can leave - this is a question of the existence of  Armenia. Come, ask these people - are they a pro-Russian project? Or  are they those who want to live on their own earth," he asked.

Bagrat Galstyan also touched upon the incident with military  personnel. According to him, these are military men who have roots in  these villages, and being emotional due to the incoming information,  they came to express support for their fellow countrymen. "They came  out of emotion, and as it became known today, they even regret what  happened. Although I don't consider this a regret, I consider it just  a comment.  Yes, a military man who is called upon to protect  borders, according to the qualifications of these same authorities,  "should not participate in political processes."  Children should not  participate in political processes! Now tell me, do these children  now participate in the political process? These women who, holding  hands, blocked the path of the sappers, do they participate in  political processes? Do so many people come here from different parts  of the country to participate in political processes? No, they came  here for the trial of truth," noted Bagrat Galstyan, criticizing the  behavior of the Armenian Ministry of Defense.

He once again emphasized that he considers the step of the military  who came to the road as a manifestation of emotions, and expressed  the conviction that they cannot be subject to criminal prosecution.