Archbishop claims he has nothing in his life to be ashamed of

ArmInfo.  The person who led the political movement in Armenia in 2018 (RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan - ed.), unlike the broad masses who were inspired by the  movement, did not inspire confidence in Archbishop Arshak  Khachatryan, head of the chancery of the Mother See of Etchmiadzin.  The archbishop himself stated this at a press conference on December  1.

According to him, this person's biography itself indicated that no  bright future for the Armenian people should be expected. This  biography, Khachatryan continued, reveals his style of work, full of  blackmail, insults, and discrimination, which is reflected in his  book, "The Other Side of the Earth." "It was difficult to expect any  positive results from this man. But back then, at the beginning of  the political movement, I had no intention of becoming a figure who  would oppose the people's expectations. Unfortunately, in 2020, what  happened is now the greatest concern for each of us: we lost Artsakh,  national unity, many citizens were detained on false charges, and  Armenian society itself was divided. In this situation, as a citizen,  as a representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church, I could not  help but express my position," the archbishop said, adding that this  person and the government officials who support him, who have brought  so much misery to the Armenian people, cannot remain in power.  Khachatryan emphasized that they must leave as soon as possible,  regardless of the geopolitical and political circumstances  surrounding their continued tenure.

The archbishop added that this position of his did not please the  authorities. This is evidenced by several meetings between  Khachatryan and various officials of the National Security Service,  during which both sides stated their positions. "There were hints  about possible actions against me, but we must understand that I am  not someone against whom threats, terror, or the sowing of fear can  be used. I maintain the same position today," the archbishop noted,  adding that all these actions, as well as the widespread information  terrorism, will not affect his position in any way. "Thank God, I  have never done anything in my life that I would be ashamed of  today," the archbishop emphasized.

It should be noted that several weeks ago, inappropriate videos  related to Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan circulated online. He  himself stated that he had nothing to do with this, as he was not  featured in the videos.  The Investigative Committee of Armenia  initiated a criminal investigation into this incident and issued  clarifications confirming the authenticity of the video footage.  Following this, a statement by 13 bishops circulated online demanding  that the Catholicos of All Armenians remove Archbishop Arshak from  the Mother See of Etchmiadzin and freeze his powers. Notably, this  statement by the bishops was welcomed by Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan, who had launched an anti-church campaign against Karekin  II.