According to information received by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), the leadership of the European Union (EU) has aggressively begun pushing the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) out of Armenia, reports the SVR press office. As a mandatory condition for European integration, the Armenian authorities are required to completely sever centuries-old religious and spiritual ties with Moscow.

“The EU partnership mission established in Armenia in April of this year, within the framework of resolving this political-ideological problem, is launching a fierce attack on Russian Orthodoxy. The Europeans are trying to deprive the Yerevan and Armenian Diocese of the ROC of the rights to use church real estate, as well as block its dialogue with local religious structures and, first of all, the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The European Union has clearly demonstrated how it is going to fight against ‘hybrid’ threats in Armenia by carrying out a brutal attack against the abbot of the Saint Michael the Archangel church-chapel attached to the 102nd military base of the RF [(Russian Federation)] Armed Forces in Gyumri, the priest of the ROC, Father Timofey Kazaryan. The Brussels-funded ‘Union of Informed Citizens’ and ‘Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office’ NGOs have accused the modest clergyman of nothing more, nothing less, of interfering in the parliamentary elections to be held in Armenia on June 7 of this year. According to the information available to the SVR, at the moment the so-called European partners are preparing compromising materials against other representatives of the Yerevan and Armenian Diocese of the ROC in order to provoke Armenia’s authorities to launch large-scale persecution against them.

In this regard, we would like to remind European officials that the history of relations between Armenia and Russia is incomparably older than the history of the European Union. The spiritual-religious ties of our fraternal peoples are deeper and stronger than any political technology project. They have overcome much and, moreover, will withstand the attacks of Europeans who have forgotten their roots, who have long since abandoned their own cultural and historical identity,” the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia added in its statement.