Minister Mirzoyan: Mr. Lavrov Would Do Well Not to Interfere in Armenia’s Internal Affairs—I Offer the Same Advice to Other Russian Officials

YEREVAN — Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ararat Mirzoyan, briefly reviewed recent statements made by his Russian counterpart and believes that Sergei Lavrov has misunderstood certain developments.

“Mr. Lavrov’s information is neither accurate nor complete. If I’m not mistaken, he used the phrase ‘a struggle for power against the Church.’ This does not reflect the reality at all. There is no such power struggle against the Church in Armenia. What Mr. Lavrov is referring to likely concerns the attempts by a few clergy members to involve themselves in political matters and interfere in political processes. Law enforcement agencies have reported an attempted coup. This is a legal matter and an internal affair of Armenia. Mr. Lavrov would do well not to interfere in Armenia’s politics and domestic matters,” Mirzoyan stated.

He added that he extends the same advice to other Russian officials and media outlets: they should refrain from meddling in Armenia’s internal affairs.

Earlier, Lavrov criticized Yerevan’s “unjustified attacks” on the Armenian Apostolic Church.

“Obviously, this is an internal affair of our neighbors, but, of course, attacks on the canonical, thousand-year-old Armenian Apostolic Church are of grave concern,” said Lavrov. “The church has traditionally always been one of the key pillars of Armenian society, and we would very much not like this church to be subjected to unjustified attacks essentially without any serious grounds.

“And we feel that within the Armenian society a movement in support of the church is very, very serious. It is based on profound traditions which Orthodoxy has in Armenia,” he said, calling for a solution “based on full respect for the rights of believers.”