Bagrat Galstanian: The Armenian Archbishop Taking On The Government

 

Archbishop Bagrat Galstanian, the outspoken head of the Tavush diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, has emerged as the leader of these protests in recent weeks, staging several rallies attended by tens of thousands of supporters. He has called on his supporters to rally in Yerevan again on May 26 to push for Pashinian’s resignation.

Unlike the three other border sections, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on a transitional border protection scheme for the section of the village of Kirants where part of the road and some houses and land are to be handed over to Azerbaijan.

The scheme will be in place until July 24, when Armenia hopes to build a new section of the road that will provide the village with connectivity with the rest of Armenia without having to use the road section that will be controlled by Azerbaijan.

The Pashinian government has also pledged to provide compensation to people who are losing their land and property as a result of the demarcation.

“We will do everything so that the rights of our citizens will be maximally preserved and protected,” the Armenian prime minister told RFE/RL on May 25.

Most of the residents of Kirants who are losing property in the border demarcation said this week that they would reject the compensation.

Some of them challenged Pashinian over the demarcation process when he visited the village.

One resident, whose father’s grave is apparently in the territory that will now be controlled by Azerbaijan, rebuked Pashinian for the land concession.

“You are giving away my homeland and you are giving my father’s grave together with it,” he said.

Stressing again that “not an inch of sovereign Armenian territory has been handed over to Azerbaijan in the process,” Pashinian replied: “Brother, the homeland begins where the state border begins. Period.”