Levon Ter-Petrosyan expresses support for Armenian church amid Pashinyan's attacks

First Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosyan on Wednesday hosted His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, at his residence, Ter-Petrosyan’s spokesperson, Arman Musinyan, reported.

During their nearly hour-long conversation, the two discussed the current political climate in Armenia, including the political retaliation against businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan. The backlash followed Karapetyan’s public support for the Armenian Apostolic Church amid Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's anti-church campaign.

“If politicians fail, we will intervene in our own way in the campaign against the church,” Karapetyan had stated shortly before his detention on charges of making public calls to seize power.

Ter-Petrosyan strongly defended Karapetyan’s position.

“Pashinyan is the embodiment of defeat. He disgracefully lost the war in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and he will inevitably lose the war he has now declared against the Armenian Apostolic Church,” Musinyan quoted the former president as saying.