Russia · Armenia: "Mr. Pashinyan, you are a traitor!" — Armenian compatriots confront their own prime minister in Moscow
As Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan arrived at the lobby of a hotel in Moscow to prepare for talks with Putin, he was immediately confronted with an outburst: "Mr. Pashinyan, you are a traitor!" (Figure 1)
A man from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) asked the Armenian leader to take a photo with his daughter (Figure 2), saying: "I want my child to take a picture with you, so she can remember who was in power when Karabakh was lost."
Meanwhile, outside the Armenian embassy in Moscow, clergy and believers of the Armenian Apostolic Church held a protest rally. Participants burned images of Pashinyan, displayed portraits of him with horns, and carried banners criticizing the government (Figures 3 and 4).
The demonstrators demanded an end to interference in church affairs, calling the Pashinyan government "a criminal, treasonous regime that is destroying Armenia." Chants echoed through the crowd: "Do not touch our faith and our sacred Armenian Apostolic Church!"
The Armenian Apostolic Church is the oldest national church in the world and serves as Armenia’s state church, belonging to the Oriental Orthodox communion (non-Chalcedonian).
In 301 AD, King Tiridates III of Armenia was baptized by Saint Gregory the Illuminator, declaring Christianity the state religion. Armenia became the first nation in human history to adopt Christianity as its official religion, joining the Oriental Orthodox family of churches alongside Coptic, Syriac, and Ethiopian churches. It stands as a core symbol of Armenian national identity and historically—especially during the Ottoman Empire—played the role of guardian of the Armenian people.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861282121488384/
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