Ex- Mayor of Glendale: Attempts to weaken Armenian Church may  undermine the last institution uniting the Armenian Community

ArmInfo.  The Pan-Armenian Council for the Protection of the Armenian Church has condemned Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's attacks against the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC).

Moreover, noting the significance of expressing public support for  the Church by public figures from the Armenian Diaspora, the  Pan-Armenian Council suggested familiarizing oneself with the stance  of Artashes Kasakhian, former Glendale Mayor in the USA and now a  member of the City Council, regarding the authorities' attacks on the  AAC.

Kasakhian's stance is outlined in a message received by ArmInfo from  the Pan-Armenian Council.  Specifically, he pointed out that attempts  to weaken the Armenian Apostolic Church could undermine the last  institution that continues to unite the Armenian community worldwide.  "Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan makes little effort to hide  his hostility towards the AAC. He is driving a wedge between the  people he is supposed to serve and the institution that has  maintained the unity of the nation for nearly two thousand years. His  campaign, disguised as populist slogans about "reforms" and  "transparency" that brought him to power, quickly transformed into a  well- thought- out attempt to take control of the Church.  What began  as political rhetoric has turned into a political cleansing,"  Kasakhian clarified.

In this vein, he recalled that clergy and those who criticized the  prime minister's position have been arrested on fabricated charges,  and an attempt is being made to deprive the Church of its autonomy  and status. "Of course, none of these things are about modernization  or morality: they are simply about control," the former Glendale  mayor added. Kasakhian also pointed out another disturbing trend.  According to him, Pashinyan's rhetoric regarding the AAC echoes  Azerbaijan's stance. He mentioned that for many years, the  Azerbaijani regime has accused the Armenian Church of "nationalism  and extremism." "They accused the clergy of inciting hatred and  presented our Church as a threat to peace. Now these messages from  Baku about recognizing the Church as illegal, discrediting its  leaders and removing it from the people coincide with official  statements from Yerevan," the former mayor noted.

He  drew attention to the fact that Nikol Pashinyan himself, during a  meeting with representatives of the Armenian diaspora in Istanbul,   made it clear that this is not just an internal issue. As Kasakhian  noted, today this is a threat that impacts, among other things,  Armenians living in the diaspora. "During a recent meeting with  representatives of the Armenian community in Istanbul, Pashinyan  declared that he is "not the prime minister of the Diaspora." This  was not just an incorrect statement, but a political statement. By  cutting ties with Armenians outside the country, the prime minister  is effectively signaling that the Diaspora does not exist. This  raises the question: if the state, which has made efforts to restore  and support countless Armenian organizations, abandons the Diaspora,  then who or what unites the Armenians of the Diaspora? It should come  as no surprise to anyone that the structure that has connected  Armenians to their ancestral roots and to each other for centuries is  the very body that is being attacked by the Armenian authorities: the  Armenian Apostolic Church," Kasakhian emphasized. 

He also noted that the most pressing question is not whether the  Armenian Church will withstand this attack, but whether the Armenian  people in the Diaspora will stand up for it and resist. "The Armenian  Apostolic Church has always been more than just a religious  institution. It serves as a vessel of culture, history, and identity  that has united Armenians across centuries and continents. If Armenia  is now isolating itself, it is the duty of the Diaspora to stand in  solidarity with each other and with the Church that has preserved our  language, traditions, and collective memory. Now is not the moment to  give up or become cynical. It is a time to fortify and reaffirm our  commitment, despite pressure, persecution, or political difficulties.  Our Church has protected and saved us from disasters in the past. We  must not fail and we will not lose today," the former mayor  concluded.