Armenian premier crossed line between secular state and religious  institution - expert 

ArmInfo.With his statement made in the courtyard of the Catholic Church of the Holy Mother of God, RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan effectively crossed the line clearly defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia between a secular state and a religious institution. Political  scientist Suren Surenyants wrote about this on his Facebook page.

"The phrase 'Church and state are now together' is not an emotional  or symbolic expression, but a statement with a clear political  content that calls into question the fundamental principle of the  secular state. A secular state does not imply a position against the  church, but rather the institutional neutrality of state power and  the exclusion of interference in the internal life, governance, and  ritual order of the church. This principle is violated from the  moment the head of the executive branch publicly calls on believers  to interfere with religious services, influence the behavior of the  clergy, and make demands within the church environment stemming from  a political agenda. In this case, we are not talking about expressing  a political opinion, but about the state's attempt to directly  influence a religious institution," the political scientist notes.

According to him, the legal component of the statement raises more  concerns. The call for organized influence on church rites crosses  the line of legal permissibility and enters into an area that,  according to the Criminal Code, is considered obstructing the  activities of a religious organization or the performance of its  rites. This call, especially coming from a high-ranking government  official, sets a dangerous precedent because it legitimizes  problematic behavior.

"Another manifestation of political irresponsibility is Pashinyan's  assertion that the Armenian Apostolic Church is 'being used as  leverage against the Republic of Armenia.' Without citing a specific  country, fact, or evidence, such a statement fails to meet the  minimum standards for a statesman. A head of state cannot use the  language of assumptions and anonymous accusations, especially when  addressing a fundamental national institution," Sureniants believes.

He noted that the foreign policy context of this statement is also  obvious. The authorities are attempting to present their anti-church  stance to European Union political circles as a "fight against hybrid  threats," spreading the false narrative that the Armenian Apostolic  Church is an instrument of influence for external powers,  particularly Russia. "This thesis, regularly repeated in speeches by  various representatives of the country's ruling Civil Contract party,  is not only unfounded but also dangerous from the standpoint of state  interests, as the discrediting of national institutions cannot be  offset by foreign policy assurances. Thus, we are dealing with a  systemic political line aimed at involving the church in the  executive branch's political agenda and subjecting it to state  control. This is a blow to the Constitution, the autonomy of the  church, public solidarity, and the institutional authority of the  state. This issue ceases to be a matter of political debate and  becomes a fundamental matter of protecting the constitutional order,"  the RA Prime Minister emphasized.