Armenian political analyst decries decision to dissolve military chaplaincy

An Armenian political analyst has sharply criticized the government’s decision to dissolve the spiritual leadership of the armed forces, describing it as an anti-Armenian move by the “Pashinyan junta”.

In a social media post on Friday, Armen Ayvazyan, a historian and doctor of political science, said the order signed by Defense Minister Suren Papikyan was aimed at removing the Armenian Apostolic Church’s influence from the military. He argued that army chaplains had served “with honor and high effectiveness” and had refused to submit to political pressure, remaining loyal to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

“This step was entirely predictable,” Ayvazyan wrote, adding that the authorities were seeking to establish a “cooperative, alternative ‘Armenian Church’ unit” within the armed forces, staffed by clergy loyal to the government.

He further claimed the move was intended to push out officers seen as aligned with the church leadership, promote those loyal to the government and weaken the army’s spiritual and moral backbone. According to Ayvazyan, the long-term aim was to replace national and religious identity in the military with a more “rootless and controllable” value system.

“The Armenian army is being deprived of its spiritual, ecclesiastical and moral cohesion,” he said, warning this could reduce resistance and morale amid growing internal and external pressures. He stressed that the decision would become “another disgraceful act for the junta”, deepening its rift with both the public and the church.