By Harut Sassounian
TheCaliforniaCourier.com
In recent months, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has exhibited frequent episodes of erratic behavior that raise serious questions about his mental stability. During parliamentary appearances, he screams at those who question him, wildly flailing his arms, and even threatens to jail his political opponents. Such conduct is both bizarre and wholly inappropriate for the head of Armenia’s government.
Whatever Pashinyan’s mental state was before the Artsakh war, it has clearly deteriorated since the catastrophic defeat Armenia suffered in 2020 under his leadership. Typically, political leaders responsible for disastrous outcomes, generals who suffer major battlefield losses and corporate heads whose mismanagement drives their companies into bankruptcy swiftly resign or are replaced by a more competent person who can take over and do damage control. Regrettably, Pashinyan’s refusal to resign only deepens Armenia’s precarious situation.
Pashinyan displayed another example of his irrational behavior during last week’s cabinet session, when he launched an unprovoked tirade against the Armenian Apostolic Church and its clergy. “I officially say our churches are storage rooms. S-t-o-r-a-g-e-r-o-o-m-s. Inside the church, there are piles of garbage, bags of cement, shoes, old clothes, old bed, leftover materials, and rusty rebar.” This statement constitutes a false and unwarranted attack on the Armenian Church, especially considering that he did not identify a single church in such a condition. The Prime Minister may have seen construction materials that are stored during church renovations.
Pashinyan’s unnecessary outburst ignited a bitter exchange between himself joined by Anna Hakobyan (his partner, since they are not married), and several clergymen.
In a series of inappropriate Facebook posts, Pashinyan asserted that “all clergymen who have violated their oath of celibacy must leave spiritual service.” This is none of the Prime Minister’s business. His statement clearly oversteps his authority and infringes upon the constitutional separation of church and state.
Pashinyan then wrote on his Facebook page: “The Republic of Armenia must have a decisive vote in the election of the Catholicos of All Armenians. Candidates for Catholicos must pass a background check.” This too represents an unwarranted intrusion into the church’s internal affairs, violating the Constitution.
The dispute worsened when Pashinyan used a shockingly vulgar remark to respond to a bishop who had called his earlier statement “disgraceful.” Incredibly, the Prime Minister posted on his Facebook page: “Srpazan [Eminence], go back to banging your uncle’s wife, what business do you have with me?” Such language is unbecoming of Armenia’s leader and more appropriate for a street thug.
17 non-governmental organizations issued a joint statement condemning Pashinyan for exploiting women as sexual objects to attack his opponents. In my opinion, what Pashinyan wrote is libelous, providing ample grounds for legal action by the bishop. I have filed a complaint with Facebook against Pashinyan for violating its Community Standards by posting this defamatory statement.
Not to be outdone, Anna Hakobyan, Pashinyan’s partner, escalated the conflict further. On her Facebook page, she proclaimed inappropriately: “The country’s main pedophiles are demonized by the word ‘storeroom.’ Of course, that’s how it should be. Aren’t storerooms the dark corners of the lives of black-vested maniacs? After all, it is in storerooms that perversions take place….” She also lambasted the World Council of Churches conference on Artsakh held last week in Switzerland, which was attended by Catholicos Karekin II and other dignitaries, by asking: “What are you doing in Switzerland?” She then ridiculed the efforts to assist Artsakh Armenians: “Whom are you sending securely to their native cradle, whom do you immediately free from captivity? Do you know what spirituality is? That’s news for you. The country’s chief spiritual mafia leader [referring to Catholicos Karekin II] is clearly indignant that a conversation has been opened about storerooms. Otherwise, why would they attack the elected leader of the state?” It appears that Anna was incensed by Catholicos’s attempts to reverse Pashinyan’s surrender of Artsakh.
Anna Hakobyan then posted a vulgar and libelous statement on Facebook about an Armenian journalist who had criticized her. She wrote: “According to reliable information, [journalist] Boris Murazi is providing sexual services to [former President] Serzh Sargsyan and some of his favorite bishops. I have been told about this for several years. I did not believe it. Now it is obvious. I think the relevant agencies already have video recordings in the drawers.” This vicious attack crosses all red lines of morality and decency. Murazi should file a lawsuit for libel. I have already reported her falsehoods to Facebook.
Had Pashinyan and Hakobyan expressed their disagreements with the Catholicos in a civilized language, it would have been somewhat understandable. However, using such vulgar language is utterly deplorable. Over the years, I have engaged in numerous disagreements with various high-ranking clergymen and former and current political leaders of Armenia, but I have never resorted to using abusive language. One can disagree without being disagreeable.
Pashinyan ascended to power in 2018 by falsely assuring the Armenian public that he would lead a movement for “love and tolerance.” Yet, seven years later, it is evident that he has done the exact opposite. He has abused his authority to spread hatred and intolerance. Azerbaijan’s media gleefully reported the Prime Minister’s attacks on the Armenian Church, aligning him with Pres. Ilham Aliyev and Allahshukur Pashazade, the Grand Mufti of Azerbaijan, in their denunciation of the Church.Ultimately, Pashinyan and his partner appear to use these vulgar statements to divert the public’s attention from the regime’s array of damaging, anti-Armenian policies. After ceding Armenian control of Artsakh and parts of the Republic of Armenia to Azerbaijan and attacking the sacred symbols of Armenia’s statehood, this couple is now intent on undermining the 1,700-year-old religious institution that is central to Armenian identity.
To get rid of this national scourge before he destroys Armenia, I suggest that Karekin II and Aram I Vehapars order all Armenian churches — in Armenia and the Diaspora — to toll their bells, urging hundreds of thousands of Armenians to gather in front of the Prime Minister’s building and remain until Pashinyan resigns.
