Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed recent public debates surrounding one of his earlier statements by elaborating on the connection between clergy’s “private lives” and the country’s operational security environment in a post on his official Facebook page.

He alleged that foreign intelligence agencies have, on multiple occasions, recruited Armenian citizens by exploiting vulnerabilities in their personal and intimate lives.

“Recently, questions were raised regarding my statement about the relevance of clergy’s private lives to the operational security situation in the country.

Let’s leave aside the fact that celibate clergy should not have a private life.

But let me illustrate just one aspect of how personal life relates to operational matters. In recent years, more than two dozen cases have been exposed in which foreign intelligence services recruited Armenian citizens by exploiting vulnerabilities in their personal and intimate lives. Numerous criminal cases have been launched on these grounds, some are still under court review, while others have resulted in guilty verdicts. This is the link between ‘private life’ and operational security,” Pashinyan wrote.

Earlier, Pashinyan also stated on Facebook that “decisive steps must be taken to liberate the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and organize new Catholicos elections.” He added that a “Coordinating Group must be established to oversee the agenda’s organizational issues,” and announced that he would personally take responsibility for selecting its first 10 members.