Pashinian admitted his intention to sign a corresponding Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty during a news conference held on Monday.
The church’s Supreme Spiritual Council described his stance as “unacceptable” in a statement released after an emergency meeting chaired by Catholicos Garegin II.
“By recognizing the Republic of Artsakh as a part of Azerbaijan, the Armenian authorities would inevitably leave our brothers and sisters in Artsakh facing a new genocide and loss of the homeland,” read the statement. “The independence of Artsakh and the territories of Armenia gained at the cost of the blood of our children are not subject to bargaining.”
It urged the Armenian government to “abandon this defeatist intent.” “We believe that a decisive expression of the will of our people on this issue is imperative,” added the statement.
The church already voiced serious concern over the government’s Karabakh policy last November. The Supreme Spiritual Council said at the time “the Artsakh people’s right to self-determination is non-negotiable.” Also, Garegin authorized an Armenian archbishop to address an opposition rally in Yerevan that warned Pashinian against recognizing Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh.
Tensions between the ancient church and Pashinian have deepened further since then. Late last week, the prime minister accused the church of meddling in politics, prompting a scathing response from Garegin’s office.