The Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia has released a statement by Catholicos Aram I, affirming that since Armenia's re-independence, the Catholicosate has consistently maintained a clear and principled position on both internal and external challenges and divisions facing the country.
“Therefore, Antelias has no need for instructions from Yerevan,” Aram I declared. “Antelias independently determines what it says and does, always guided by the supreme interests, values, and ideals of our nation and homeland.”
Speaking at a ceremonial event in Toronto, Aram I remarked that “the homeland is heading toward self-destruction and the diaspora toward self-exhaustion—urgent joint pan-Armenian efforts are needed.”
In response, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan dismissed Aram I’s remarks as “outtakes from a film.”
“I read the statements from the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia—they’re like the ‘bonus footage’ or ‘deleted scenes’ at the end of a movie,” Pashinyan said. “And that film’s plot is about Armenia being destroyed. Their entire operation is centered on a collapsing Armenia. When Armenia isn’t collapsing, they don’t know how to interact with it.”
