Protest movement in Armenia seeks more than change of power, leader says
Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan claims the Tavush for the Homeland protest movement spearheaded by him does not strive solely for a change of power in Armenia.
“This movement is more than a push for regime change,” he said in an interview on Saturday. “This is a movement of values."
The archbishop, who is leading the effort to oust Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and to halt his government’s unilateral territorial concessions to Azerbaijan, stated the movement sought “changes in the value system and public attitudes.”
“We’ll do our best for the process to fully comply with the law. Meanwhile, the human rights power often prevails the rule of law. This is a popular movement which will definitely succeed,” the cleric stated.
Tavush for the Homeland began as a grassroots movement opposing the border delimitation with Azerbaijan in the border villages of Kirants and Voskepar in April, extending to Yerevan and other parts of Armenia later.
The archbishop stated that the protests held as part of the campaign were aimed at preventing the government’s land surrender to Azerbaijan.