Patriarch of the Armenians in Constantinople, Sahak Mashalian, after concluding his visit to the U.S., addressed the Armenian press in Istanbul regarding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s trip to Istanbul and the closure of the Patriarchate during his visit to Kumkapı. He explained why no clergyman was present: it was a deliberate act of protest due to the insulting and aggressive language used by Pashinyan toward Catholicos Karekin II.

There was no clerical presence at the Istanbul Armenian community meeting during Pashinyan’s visit; the patriarchate building was closed that day.

Mashalian emphasized that other churches responded similarly: Catholicos Aram I of Cilicia and Patriarch Nourhan Manukyan of Jerusalem both aligned themselves with Echmiadzin. His spiritual brothers, who served with him, did not want to appear at the meeting with the prime minister. “This is a political confrontation. We do not want Armenia’s Supreme Patriarchate to be instrumentalized for political purposes, nor want internal church affairs to be interjected into politics, nor resolutions made in insulting language. We gave the most natural reaction—our clear response,” he said.

He noted confusion regarding protocol: the Republic of Armenia as a state has 35 years of history, while the Turkish Patriarchate has over 500 years. Unlike previous high-level visits—such as with former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan—no official notification was submitted for Pashinyan’s visit. Instead, Armenia’s permanent representative to the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation informed that Pashinyan would not visit the patriarchate but rather light a candle at the Marian Church in Kumkapı. Mashalian asserted the fault lay with Armenia’s state institutions for failing to observe proper protocol.

When reminded that Catholicos Karekin II had taken a political stance and sided with the opposition, Mashalian replied that the prime minister is attempting to influence church affairs and desires a Catholicos that aligns with his vision and serves political needs. “If I had been present, I would have received him and voiced my objections in person—but I was not there. This was not something to delegate to someone else. We deemed this response correct. We staged a silent protest and Mr. Pashinyan understood that,” Mashalian said.

He added that once the clergy enters politics, they must be prepared to pay the price. “Whether it is right or wrong we will see,” he noted. He also responded to some clerics’ comments on political processes surrounding Echmiadzin. “As Turkish Armenians, we wish for improved relations between Turkey and Armenia. We support Pashinyan’s politics, but this does not exempt ignoring the political stance he has adopted toward our church,” declared the patriarch.

Addressing speculation about him being positioned as a candidate for a new Catholicos, Mashalian stated: “Our millennia-old church traditions and clerical discipline require that as long as the current Catholicos is seated, we must neither want nor even think about electing a new one.”

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met the Armenian community in Istanbul and Armenian media before his meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. However, no clergy from the Patriarchate was present at that gathering.