NPR News: 02-26-2024 5PM EST
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Day: February 26, 2024
YEREVAN (Azatutyun.am)—The Armenian Apostolic Church has added its voice to opposition criticism of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s plans to try to enact a new constitution demanded by Azerbaijan.
The issue was on the agenda of a five-day session of the church’s Supreme Spiritual Council that drew to a close in Etchmiadzin over the weekend.
“The Supreme Spiritual Council found the initiative to adopt a new Constitution very bewildering, especially given that it is widely perceived in public circles also as a consequence of external coercion,” read an official statement on the session chaired by Catholicos Karekin II.
“It was noted that the discourse of various high-ranking Armenian officials as well as the president of Azerbaijan regarding the adoption of the new Constitution only deepens existing suspicions,” it said.
Pashinyan declared last month that Armenia needs a new constitution reflecting the “new geopolitical environment” in the region. Analysts believe that he first and foremost wants to get rid of a preamble to the current constitution that makes reference to a 1990 declaration of independence adopted by the republic’s first post-Communist parliament. The declaration in turn cites a 1989 unification act adopted by the legislative bodies of Soviet Armenia and the then Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on February 1 that Armenia should remove that reference if it wants to cut a peace deal with his country. Armenian opposition leaders portrayed Aliyev’s statement as further proof that Pashinyan is planning to change the constitution at the behest of Baku. Pashinyan has denied the opposition claims while saying that Armenia “will never have peace” as long as it sticks to the 1990 declaration.
The church council defended the country’s existing constitution, saying that it is anchored in “the cherished past of our people” and their “national aspirations.” It also condemned Azerbaijan’s “expansionist ambitions” and “continuing encroachments” on Armenian territory.
Pashinyan’s relationship with the ancient church, to which the vast majority of Armenians belong, has increasingly deteriorated since the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh. Karekin and other senior clergymen joined the Armenian opposition in calling for Pashinyan’s resignation following Armenia’s defeat in the six-week war.
Pashinyan and other senior Armenian officials have boycotted Christmas and Easter liturgies led by Karekin for the past three years. In May 2023, the premier accused the church of meddling in politics, prompting a scathing response from Karekin’s office.
Tensions between the government and the church rose further last October when Karekin blamed Pashinyan for Azerbaijan’s recapture of Karabakh and the resulting mass exodus of the region’s ethnic Armenian population. The church had repeatedly condemned Pashinyan for recognizing Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh before Baku’s September 19-20 military offensive.
The Supreme Spiritual Council concluded its session as over 200 supporters of Karekin gathered at the church’s Mother See following reports that an obscure group of Armenians planned to hold the same day a rally in Etchmiadzin to demand his resignation.
The town’s municipal administration sanctioned the rally, slated for February 24, late last month but revoked the permission shortly afterwards amid an uproar from vocal critics of the Armenian government. They claimed that Pashinyan is behind the attempted rally.
The crowd that gathered on Saturday to show support for the church’s supreme head included several opposition figures, notably Levon Kocharian, a parliament deputy from the opposition Hayastan alliance led by his father and former Armenian President Robert Kocharian.
Another senior Hayastan member, Ishkhan Saghatelyan, last week warned Pashinyan against pressing ahead with his plans for the new constitution. He said that the Armenian opposition would “do everything” to turn a possible constitutional referendum on into a popular vote of no confidence in the premier.
President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan on Monday threatened Armenia, saying that Yerevan should accept all of Baku’s conditions, as both countries announced that their foreign ministers will meet in Berlin this week for a new round of peace talks.
“Armenia and its patrons believed that no one would punish them. They were completely wrong, and they are still wrong today,” Aliyev said, according to the Trend news agency.
“Armenia, which is looking for a new owner and seeking refuge in somebody else’s arms, should understand that the only way is to accept all of Azerbaijan’s conditions and give up its territorial claims against Azerbaijan,” Aliyev added.
His remarks come two days after Azerbaijani forces attacked the Verin Shorzha region of the Gegharkunik Province on Saturday, prior to which another attack on Armenian positions in Nerkin Hand in the Syunik Province killed four soldiers.
Foreign minister Ararat Mirzoyan will meet his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhum Bayramov in Berlin later this week.
Spokespersons from both foreign ministries confirmed the meeting, which they said will take place on from February 28 to 29.
Aliyev and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met in Munich earlier this month during talks mediated by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Aliyev has criticized the European Union and France, accusing them of advancing pro-Armenian policies.
He criticized the EU’s mission in Armenia and France for selling weapons to Yerevan.
President Emmanuel Macron of France said last week that his country will continue to support Armenia and advance its military capabilities. Macron also emphasized that Azerbaijan should recognize Armenia’s territorial integrity explicitly.
A day later, France’s defense minister Sebastien Lecornu visited Yerevan and signed several more agreements with his Armenian counterpart. Reports also indicated that a new shipment of military equipment from France arrived in Armenia on the same of Lecornu’s visit.
Nazareth KevonianNAZARETH KEVONIAN
A memorial service will be held to mark the one year anniversary of Nazareth Kevonian’s passing on Sunday, March 10, 2024 at St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church, located at 500 S. Central Ave., Glendale.
He is remembered by his:
Daughter, Tamar Kevonian and Sevan Abdessian and daughter, Yeraz
Son, Keghon and Alexia Kevonian and children, Atam, Sophia and Neshan
Daughter, Taline Kevonian
Sister, Sossy Hannessian and family
Brother, Raffi and Angela Kevonian and family (Spain)
Sister, Arpine Kevonian and family (Greece)
And all Kevonian, Hannessian, Abdessian, Madenjis families, relatives and friends.
Seems legit – they take bribery and corruption extremely seriously in Azerbaijan 😂
— Joseph Gasparyan (@JosephGasparyan) February 26, 2024
#Tusheti, Abano Pass 2850m in #Georgia #ReisenInGeorgien pic.twitter.com/VCgc23mXta
— Notes from Georgia/South Caucasus (Hälbig, Ralph) (@SouthCaucasus) February 26, 2024