25.06.2025 14:21
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that a coup attempt led by a group headed by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan was thwarted by law enforcement forces. Following Pashinyan's statement, Galstanyan, the leader of the "Holy Struggle" movement, was detained.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that a group led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, who he claimed has been "planning a coup since November 2024," was thwarted by law enforcement in their "preparations for a terrorist act."
Pashinyan shared a statement from the Armenian Investigative Committee on his Facebook account. The statement indicated that a group led by Galstanyan has been "preparing a coup since November 2024."
"A TREACHEROUS PLAN WAS FOILED"
Pashinyan, who shared that Galstanyan had formed "attack teams" mostly consisting of former military personnel and police officers to overthrow the government, stated, "Law enforcement has thwarted a large and treacherous plan by the criminal oligarchic clergy to destabilize the Republic of Armenia and seize power."
SHARP POLEMIC BETWEEN PASHINYAN AND THE ARMENIAN CHURCH
In another statement on his Facebook account, Pashinyan reacted to derogatory remarks directed at him by the spokesperson of the Armenian religious leader, Catholicos II. Garegin. In response to the spokesperson's implication that he was not Christian by using the term "Circumcised," Pashinyan stated that this was a lie, saying, "I am ready to prove the opposite of what the spokesperson said." Pashinyan added, "Let him (II. Garegin) say whether he has broken his vow of celibacy and whether he has children."
ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTS IN ARMENIA
Some citizens and politicians organized by the Armenian Church began a march from the Tavush and Shirak regions to the capital on May 4, 2024, followed by nationwide protests, particularly in the capital Yerevan.
Pashinyan, who demanded the Church stay away from government affairs, stated that a change in administration could only be achieved through elections.