Arthur Vanetsyan, leader of the Homeland Party and former head of Armenia’s National Security Service, responded to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s controversial statements about the clergy, stating on Facebook that “Nikol is not someone who can speak of morality.”

“What happens when a country’s prime minister fails in governance? When that failure results in thousands of casualties and the loss of our Homeland?” he asked rhetorically. “Nikol is certainly not the one who should be talking about failure, betrayal, or morality.”

Vanetsyan affirmed that the Church has faced far worse over its long history than “these pitiful attempts at Nikol-style blackmail.” He expressed confidence that the Armenian Apostolic Church—“our fortress of faith and values”—will withstand this trial as well.

“This was inevitable,” he continued. “Unfortunately, to rise again, we had to hit rock bottom. Now we have no choice but to finally understand who we are as a people, what kind of Church we have, and what kind of state we want.”

He concluded by affirming his belief in the principle of “One Nation, One Homeland, One Church,” and in the strength of that idea: “Together, we will overcome this challenge. God be with us.”

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had earlier responded to clergy criticism following his remarks comparing churches to ‘storerooms’, with Facebook posts containing offensive language. His wife, Anna Hakobyan, also joined in, calling clerics ‘the country’s top pedophiles’ and using similarly disparaging language.