Etchmiadzin between faith and power: Pashinyan challenges the sacred - INTERVIEW
As the ideological conflict between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the Armenian Apostolic Church rapidly intensifies, many analysts speak not just of political instability but of a profound civilizational rupture. Why has Pashinyan chosen to take such a bold step now? What does the crisis in the Church mean for Armenian society and regional security? We spoke with political analyst Ilyas Huseynov, head of the sector at Azerbaijan’s Center for Social Research.
Source: Euronews
– How do you assess the current conflict between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the Armenian Apostolic Church? Is it a domestic political reshuffle or part of a broader geopolitical shift?
– This is no longer a mere internal dispute between a political leader and a religious hierarchy — we are witnessing the deep deconstruction of a sacralized myth that for decades defined Armenian identity. Nikol Pashinyan is not opposing faith itself, but rather an institution that, having lost its spiritual integrity and moral compass, has turned into an instrument of ideological pressure and a transmitter of outdated dogmas.
This struggle goes beyond a local conflict and becomes part of a vast civilizational shift in which Armenia, like a traveler on a shaky bridge, tries to balance between the desire for modernization and the pull of archaic structures, between a pro-European vector and the legacy of post-imperial models, between an honest reckoning with itself and the seductive rhetoric of exceptionalism.
The resistance to spiritual corruption is no longer a mere episode, but a symbol. It is a metaphor for liberation from the past — a past that acts as ballast, dragging progress down. Pashinyan, without openly declaring it, finds himself at the epicenter of a cultural rupture, where the struggle is not for power, but for the right to redefine the very essence of Armenian statehood by freeing it from doctrinal dictate.
– Why has this sharp escalation between the government and the clergy occurred now? Is it a consequence of the post-Karabakh trauma?
– Without the spiritual anchor of Karabakh, Armenia finds itself in a moral vacuum. The country has lost both the external symbol of its uniqueness and the internal myth that once fueled the collective consciousness. It is precisely in such historical breaking points that the battle over meaning intensifies: the shattered sacred codes demand review, reinterpretation, and renewal.
Understanding this, Pashinyan has bet on moral reconstruction — a cleansing from the old dogmas that no longer inspire or lead forward. The conflict with the Church has thus become not an isolated episode but a mirror of the times, a litmus test revealing a deeper choice: a move toward renewal or a stubborn clinging to rituals that have turned into illusion.
Source: Perthnow
– Can we say that the Armenian Church has lost its moral high ground and become part of the political establishment?
– Undoubtedly, faith is not something that needs the patronage of politicians or protection from uncomfortable questions. A true church is born from the spirit of humility, not the thirst for power. The moment the Armenian Apostolic Church raised its hand to bless war instead of peace, hatred instead of mercy, it marked the point of losing its genuine spiritual authority.
In his actions, Pashinyan is not opposing God — on the contrary, he is confronting false sanctity that conceals systemic vices. His determination to expose deeply rooted sins is not an attack on faith, but a quest to restore its purity. What we are witnessing is not hostility but reformist zeal — a desire to lift the veil of hypocrisy from the temple and return it to the light of truth. Such an act demands courage and deserves respect as a step toward renewal, not destruction.
– Do you believe Armenia can overcome this crisis and embark on a path of constructive development? Or are its revanchist roots too deep?
– Armenia does indeed have a historic opportunity. But the path to healing and renewal will be neither easy nor painless. Armenian society has for decades been nurtured in an atmosphere of exceptionalism and the cultivation of traumatic memory, which has become an inseparable part of national identity. But to move forward, that internal barrier must be overcome — the imposed cult of victimhood must be abandoned in favor of a mature culture of responsibility.
This is a demand of the times, addressed to both the secular authorities and the spiritual institution that for centuries shaped the nation’s mindset. Without a profound reassessment of historical myths, it is impossible to lay a firm foundation for either economic growth or the building of genuine statehood. Illusions of the past obscure the possibilities of the future.
The new generation faces a crucial dilemma: to continue on the path of self-deception, fed by sweet lies, or to summon the courage to accept the bitter truth. Only by choosing truth — with all its pain but also its cleansing power — can true renewal become possible.
Source: APA
– How does the current conflict affect the security of the region and the process of normalizing Armenian-Azerbaijani relations?
– Paradoxically, what is happening in Armenia may mark the beginning of constructive change. The weakening of the radical clerical wing — which for years served as the ideological bastion of revanchist sentiments — creates space for a more sober and peaceful dialogue. As long as the Church remained a symbolic headquarters of resistance to any form of compromise, even the idea of peaceful coexistence was crushed under accusations of betrayal. Today, however, one can feel a fresh breeze of possibility — a chance for the return of common sense and realistic diplomacy.
If Yerevan chooses the path of internal purification and national modernization, the South Caucasus may, for the first time in a long while, begin to speak the language of creation instead of confrontation. This is not about a tactical maneuver, but the potential transformation of the entire paradigm — from rhetoric of pain and loss to a future-oriented agenda that emphasizes development, mutual understanding, and responsibility to future generations.
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