Briefs
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Artsakh
The Diocesan Council of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church issued a statement condemning actions by its primate, Vrtanes Abrahamyan, which have sparked public debate and protest. Abrahamyan and a group of clergy met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, an encounter critics say was a political maneuver against Catholicos Karekin II.
Images and reports showing Abrahamyan greeting and shaking hands with the prime minister—whom many hold politically responsible for
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And here is one of Pashinyan’s potential candidates, whom he plans to install as a puppet Catholicos if he deposes Karekin II. Pashinyan’s divide-and-conquer tactic to purge and gain control of the Armenian Apostolic Church is undoubtedly advancing. If this last bastion of patriotic resistance against the traitor Pashinyan falls, it will pave the way for a full Pashinyan dictatorship and Armenia’s transformation into a puppet state of Azerbaijan and Turkey.
Those who entertain the idea that Armenia will somehow flourish economically, Pashinyan first of all, if the Turkish and Azerbaijani borders open, are deluding themselves. It will expose Armenia with its small economy to full economic exploitation by this Turkic duo and Armenia will receive “bread crumbs”. One does not need to look further than the example of neighboring Georgia, which has not really reaped economic benefits, let alone flourished economically, from cross-border trade with Azerbaijan and Turkey, and as a “transit country” for Azerbaijani oil and gas. Landlocked Armenia was deliberately blocked and bypassed by Turkey and Azerbaijan as a transit country during the Artsakh conflict, and they made sure that Armenia does not benefit from cross-border trade and become a transit country at all, by shifting the transport corridor to Georgia. This Turkic duo is only interested in gaining control of the Syunik corridor and to make Armenia their puppet state. There is no “win-win” situation at all for Armenia for the abovementioned reasons, if the Turkish and Azerbaijani borders open, no matter how hard Pashinyan tries to spin it.
This has not made the news in Armenian Weekly, but it must be mentioned.
Azerbaijan is continuing the cultural Armenian Genocide in Artsakh. Azerbaijan has vandalized an abandoned Armenian monastery in the village of Tonashen in Martakert Province named Surp Amenaprkich Vank (Holy Savior Monastery). According to satellite photos between August and October 2025, the monastery’s metal roof was removed. This monastery is not part of Azerbaijan’s monument inventory, like more than 99% of Armenian heritage in Artsakh and Azerbaijan, which have been destroyed or are destined to be destroyed; meaning that it is not selected to be “preserved” (disfigured) as a pseudo-historical “Caucasian Albanian” monument, like the disfigured Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi or the profaned Gandzasar Monastery or the profaned Amaras Monastery. The Azeris are obviously dismantling (destroying) the monastery. Whether the monastery is still standing as of December 2025, is unknown. Future satellite photos will reveal its fate. Pashinyan, who washed his hands off Artsakh, is of course not bothered by this wholescale systematic destruction of Armenian heritage in Artsakh, let alone raises it.
Here is a source from the Caucasus Heritage Watch:
https://x.com/CaucasusHW
https://www.sotwe.com/caucasushw (for those who don’t have an X (Twitter) account and therefore cannot access it)