The Armenian Apostolic Church’s Supreme Spiritual Council issued a statement today denouncing what it describes as the unacceptable means of propaganda, including repression and the use of unlawful force, during the campaign on the eve of the upcoming June parliamentary election in Armenia.

“The continued use of hostile, hateful, and obscene language only deepens social divisions, fuels frustration and tension, and poses serious risks to Armenia’s statehood,” the statement says, pointing an accusatory finger at the Armenian government.

The statement continues:

“We consider unacceptable and condemnable the steps taken to target the Church and the clergy for the sake of one’s own political ambitions, as well as the attempts to artificially involve the Armenian Church in political processes.”

In this light, the assessment of the PACE pre-election delegation in its interim statement of May 13 regarding the “unprecedented involvement in politics” of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church is highly puzzling, as we consider it to be misinformed and completely contradictory to PACE Resolution No. 2633 (2026) of January 25, 2026.

Instead, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin expects from PACE clear assessments of the campaign unleashed by the authorities against the Armenian Church in Armenia, the continuous prohibitions and restrictions imposed by the open use of state levers contrary to the country’s legislative regulations and international law, which directly hinder the Church’s pastoral mission.”