Priest under fire after refusing to shake Pashinyan's handDecember 21, 2020 - 18:56 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The priest of Saint Gregory Church in the southern Armenian town of Sisian, Syunik province refused to shake the hand of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday, December 21. After the incident was reported, a group of protesters marched towards the church to make the priest leave but couldn't find him there. One of the demonstrators said they believe the clergymen "had no right to leave Pashinyan's hand hovering in the air." Dozens of protesters entered the building, one of them claiming that the priest "has no longer the right to access the church." The incident occurred Monday, when Pashinyan was forced to cut short his visit as residents blocked roads in Syunik, claiming that new border demarcations in the country's south are being drawn at the expense of Armenia's national security. Top stories The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Defense Minister Suren Papikyan has visited the southern Armenian province of Syunik, the Defense Ministry reported on March 18. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Macron says France commemorates 109th anniv. of Armenian genocide Today France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915, Macron says. |