A priest from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has dismissed allegations surrounding Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan as "complete slander," without specifying which claims he was referring to.
Four days after the release of videos allegedly showing Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan in intimate situations, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has not issued any official statement. In response to a question from Factor.am , the Head of the Information Department, Father Yesayi Artenyan, said: "No comment."
Father Yesayi also stated that "the Archbishop has already addressed the matter."
On the day the videos began circulating, Archbishop Khachatryan released a statement saying he "publicly directs contempt and ridicule" toward the "interested parties." He did not deny the authenticity of the videos. In an interview with the Fifth Channel, he mentioned the possibility that secret recordings were made to identify him, which were then manipulated through editing.
When asked about the Archbishop’s apparent lack of denial, Father Yesayi responded: “It is complete slander, a vile act that has taken place.”
However, he did not clarify which part of the situation he considered slanderous.
On October 25, videos allegedly involving Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, Chief of Staff of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, were circulated via a Telegram channel named “Armenian WikiLeaks.” According to the channel, the videos suggest an intimate relationship between the Archbishop and his uncle’s wife.
Although Telegram blocked the content due to violations, the videos have since been shared and preserved on other platforms. Four days after the release, law enforcement has not initiated any proceedings.
