Armenia

The electorate’s pro-European choice in the 7 June vote was accompanied by the election of the largest number of pro-Russian MPs since 2018. Putin nevertheless aims to influence the prime minister’s policies, with whom he maintains open channels of communication. And the polls themselves suggest that Armenians do not want the partnership with Brussels to be at Moscow’s expense.

The vote on 7 June in Yerevan is set to resolve the turbulent domestic political situation, either ushering in a new phase oriented towards Europe or bringing the country back under Russian control, whilst seeking to avert civil war between the various factions of the Armenian people. Meanwhile, the current Prime Minister Pashinyan has indicated that he intends to meet Putin immediately after the vote.

At the recent European summit in Armenia, attended by Zelenskyy and marked by a clear desire to strengthen relations with the European Union, Putin responded by warning Armenia not to follow in Ukraine’s footsteps. These are weighty words in a country preparing to go to the polls on 7 June for extremely sensitive parliamentary elections.

From the Stepanakert Cathedral to Tatik-Papik—the monument on the hill symbolizing the unbreakable bond between Armenians and Nagorno-Karabakh—the destruction by Azerbaijani vandals continues, as they demolish churches, steles, and other objects of historical and cultural value to completely erase the identity of others. With no significant reaction from the international community (or from the Yerevan government itself).

Like all Eastern Churches, Christians in Armenia are preparing to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Sunday 12th, reviving ancient customs such as holding eggs in their hands as they make their way to the Easter Vigil. Among the deeply meaningful rites is the Andastan, with the blessing of the four cardinal points to symbolise the rebuilding of a new world founded on faith and unity.

Pašinyan's government will place a sculpture dedicated to the writing created by the monk Mesrop Mashtots to translate the Bible in an area adjacent to the European Parliament headquarters. A symbol of national pride, resilience and the deep bond between faith and culture in the first Christian nation in history. It is also a political message about the current leadership in Yerevan's view of Europe.

In the city of Armavir, a thousand Armenians took to the streets wearing red armbands to support the bishops and priests imprisoned in the clash between Pashinyan and the Apostolic Church. Moscow views these initiatives with sympathy, concerned about the pro-Western initiatives of the current government in Yerevan that call into question Russia's role as traditional guardian.

The traditional dish that has been celebrated in Yerevan for centuries at the end of October to mark the end of the harvest is a thanksgiving for nature's generosity and a wish for a peaceful winter for those engaged in agricultural work. The filling with thousands of grains of rice represents the whole of humanity, which absorbs the sweetness of the other ingredients inside the pumpkin without losing its own specificity.

In the context of fierce opposition to Prime Minister Pašinyan's policies, Bishop Mkrtič, head of the eparchy of Aragatsotn, was also arrested, along with six diocesan priests. Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the first to openly oppose the head of government, has been in prison since June. Lawyers for the Armenian Apostolic Church: serious violation of the law.

The disputed 40 kilometres between the Azerbaijani border and the Nakhchivan enclave through Armenian territory are of fundamental importance for the entire region. The Corridor will not only reunite Azerbaijani territories through Armenia, but will also significantly shorten the entire Eurasian and Trans-Caspian Corridor route, which is essential for transport that must avoid sanctions against Russia.

Following the agreement with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, the conflict between Armenia’s political and religious leaders continues in the United States. The Armenian Embassy in Washington announced a meeting with Matthew Potter, co-founder of an Evangelical platform close to the American far right. This is a new attempt by Pashinyan to undermine the historic authority of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Katholikos Karekin II's opposition to Prime Minister Pašinyan's policy on agreements with Azerbaijan is only the latest chapter in a ‘rivalry’ that has its roots in the very origins of what was the world's first Christian state. And Karabakh, which the Church does not want to cede definitively, was a symbol of the defence of its identity during the years of Soviet domination.