June 29, 2025
Statements of the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party
“With Our People and For Our Homeland, With Our People and For Our Homeland”
It is with profound distress that we note the deeply sorrowful reality that arrests have been and are being made in the Homeland of a group of individuals who are accused of the grave charge of plotting terrorism against the state.
If the investigative bodies irrefutably prove that these accusations against them are true, the perpetrators must, without doubt, be subjected to the severest punishment prescribed by state law, without ever taking into consideration their affiliation or circumstances.
The execution of an abominable project of terrorism against the state not only undermines the very foundations of our statehood, but also tramples upon and violates our national dignity. At the same time, it opens the door to countless calamities, as well as irreparable losses.
Apart from this horrifying latest development, the unpleasant situation created by the confrontation between the authorities and certain high-ranking clergymen has for some time been a cause for concern, because the resentment and antipathy generated by such sharp polarizations constitute a serious affliction to the unity of our people, at a time when unity is perhaps more vitally necessary for us than ever, especially now, when our region faces a politically tense and explosive situation.
Moreover, the current situation will inevitably have its negative and heavy impact also on the Armenian diaspora, because within numerous Armenian communities, national life is directly and closely linked to our Church.
Therefore, it is strongly desirable that this convoluted and alarming situation find its logical, just and decisive resolution as soon as possible.
The Armenian Apostolic Church, for more than 1700 years and especially for centuries, when we were deprived of statehood, has not only served our people as a courageous and trustworthy spiritual leader, but has also been our inexhaustible source of inspiration for faith and hope in the future, for unity and patriotism, as well as the irreplaceable guarantor of our national values and Armenian identity preservation. It has undeniably been our “high fortress of faith,” as the gifted poet Vahan Tekeyan described it.
It is beyond any doubt that, for centuries, when we had no statehood, our Church voluntarily and selflessly assumed the important role of leading our nation, a role it fulfilled with the success that circumstances permitted. Now, however, when we are at last blessed with a multi-party system and a democratic republic, it would be highly beneficial for the Armenian Apostolic Church to focus entirely on its sacred mission of spiritual leadership ALONE. Moreover, unfortunately, in the last few decades and especially within the Homeland, certain high-ranking clergymen have begun to display secular, materialistic and misguided interests unbefitting the clergy, and have thereby distanced and alienated themselves from our people, who in turn have gradually begun to lose their faith, trust and even respect for them.
It must also be emphasized that it is absolutely unacceptable and intolerable for our Church to have political leanings, because, as characterized in our Creed, the Armenian Apostolic Church is UNIVERSAL, and cannot have preferences or partiality, because all the children of our people, without exception, are equally beloved in the eyes of our Church.
It is with regret that we note that, for several decades, the Mother See of Etchmiadzin, through unwarranted interventions, encroachments and discrimination, has treated many Armenian organizations and institutions, including the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party. However, despite having borne the many weighty consequences of that sad attitude, we have until now preferred not to speak out about it, out of zeal to avoid misinterpretations and misunderstandings.
We fervently wish that the present, acutely unpleasant situation create an opportunity for the regulations and status of the Armenian Apostolic Church to undergo all manner of and absolutely all necessary reforms, thanks to which our Church can surely be transformed into a sacred, unshakeable pillar, directly attuned to all the contemporary sentiments of our people, enjoying faith, hope and love, respect and trust.
Armenian Democratic Liberal Party
