ArmInfo.The Catholicos of All Armenians is free to make his own decision regarding participation in any state event and does not need permission for this. This is how lawyer Arsen Babayan commented on today's words of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan about the actions of the police in Sardarapat against the Catholicos of All Armenians.
The lawyer noted that Nikol Pashinyan tried to explain to journalists why His Holiness the Catholicos of All Armenians was prohibited from entering the Sardarapat memorial complex.
"Of course, at first glance, this remark seems justified, but it only seems to be another manipulation and completely contradicts the law "On State Protocol."
Thus, from a systematic analysis of Articles 3, paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 10, Article 11, and the descriptive part of Article 12 of the Law "On State Protocol" it follows that the event held on May 28 in the Sardarapat memorial complex is a state ceremonial event, and the Catholicos All Armenians independently decide whether to participate in it or not.
No invitation or permission can be requested or required of His Holiness.
If His Holiness independently decides that he should participate in a state ceremonial event, then he is second in seniority, that is, if the President of the Republic participates, then his successor in seniority is Karekin the II, and the Prime Minister is third in the list, that is, His Holiness has seniority over the head of government.
Consequently, the actions of the police were completely illegal, they contradicted the law "On the Police" and correspond to a special article of the Criminal Code, which should be applied to them," the lawyer emphasized.
On May 28, the Armenian police tried to prevent the Catholicos of all Armenians from visiting at the Sardarapat memorial complex. Special police forces blocked the road for the retinue of clergy led by the Catholicos. Nevertheless, the Catholicos managed to visit the complex, hold a prayer service and lay a wreath. However, after his departure, the security of the Prime Minister of Armenia removed the wreath laid by the Catholicos at the memorial. Since the history of modern Armenia, such a disrespectful attitude towards the Supreme Clergy of Armenia is the first time.
Notably, commenting on this incident, Pashinyan assured that the authorities did not campaign the church. As for the incident, as Pashinyan noted, the head of the AAC arrived at the venue for ceremonial events to which he was not invited. "Moreover, the government was not aware of the expectations of the invitation. The police were only trying to clarify whether the Catholicos had arrived in order to continue the "provocative actions" of his supporters and members of the political movement he led. And when they received assurances that the visit was ceremonial, they provided the Catholicos with access to the memorial," Pashinyan said.