Yerevan /Mediamax/. The Holy See of St. Etchmiadzin responded to the accusations voiced by the Azerbaijani spiritual leader Allahshukur Pashazadeh against the Armenian Church and Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II.

At the request of Mediamax, commenting on Pashazadeh’s statements, the Holy See representative said:

“Throughout the history of the Artsakh conflict, the constant request-demand of the Armenian Church under the leadership of the Catholicos of All Armenians, from Azerbaijan has been and continues to be to respect the fair right of the people of Artsakh to live in their own historical homeland, the right they have exercised through self-determination. Sheikh ul Islam Allahshukur Pashazadeh probably mistakenly characterizes this attitude of the Armenian Church as revanchism.

Instead of making such accusations against the Armenian Church, it would be appropriate for the spiritual leader of Azerbaijan to address the revanchist policy of Azerbaijan and the aggression against Artsakh and Armenia for years, the war unleashed in 2020, the occupation and eviction of Armenians from Artsakh, the occupation of the sovereign territories of Armenia, the illegal detention of Armenian prisoners of war, the large-scale hate propaganda against Armenia at the state level, and the documented cases of the destruction and appropriation of the Armenian historical, spiritual and cultural heritage.

It would be proper for the spiritual leader of Azerbaijan, after the call of the Armenian Church, to take appropriate steps with his spiritual authority to stop the genocidal acts and monstrous barbarism and contribute to the establishment of real peace in the region.”

Azerbaijan’s spiritual leader Allahshukur Pashazadeh stated, in particular, that Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II “is not worthy of my inviting him to Baku.” He claimed that “today the Armenian Church led by the Catholicos preaches revanchism all over the world.”