The Zhoghovurd newspaper of the Republic of Armenia (RA) writes as follows, in particular: The recently publicized photo, where Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and first President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan were depicted, was a silent but clear message to the public.

The Zhoghovurd daily learned that the meeting was accompanied by a serious and in-depth conversation about the tense domestic political situation in the country and the role of the [Armenian Apostolic] church as an institution. According to well-informed sources of the Zhoghovurd daily,

Ter-Petrosyan expressed concern in his remarks and called on the Catholicos to remain calm, vigilant, and not give in to any provocations. He emphasized that no authority has the right to invade the arena of [Armenian Apostolic] Church sovereignty and dictate its will, recalling that according to the RA Constitution, the [Armenian Apostolic] Church operates separately from the state. “I know [PM] Nikol Pashinyan well. He will not stop, he will yell, scream, insult, provoke. But the [Armenian Apostolic] church must oppose with its balance,” – the first president said something like this.

The Catholicos, in turn, informed the founding president of the RA that in recent times he has been receiving constant warnings and threats from various directions. They attempted to persuade him to leave [office]. Otherwise, they promised to discredit or even arrest [him]. However, the spiritual shepherd continues to resist at the moment.

Time will tell to what extent this meeting will affect further developments. However, it is obvious that the [Armenian Apostolic] Church and the [Armenian] state are once again facing a junction of complex relationships.