The National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia arrested Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, Chancellor of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, in the building of the Investigative Committee of Armenia, informed lawyer Arsen Babayan.

In a press conference held Tuesday, Archbishop Khachatryan had stated that he does not intend to step down. He had attributed the persecutions and campaign against him to his position on the incumbent Armenian authorities’ policies.

“The current leader of the country wants to have controllable, compliant clergymen who will serve his interests and gains in the spiritual sphere, will in no way oppose his policy,” the Mother See chancellor had said, referring to PM Nikol Pashinyan.

Also, he had stated that he had met several times with various NSS officials regarding his positions, but did not wish to name them. “I was not summoned to the NSS. There were no official notifications, there were simply invitations to meetings, and we met. During the meetings, they expressed their positions. There were insinuations at carrying out certain actions,” Archbishop Khachatryan had said.