Zareh Sinanyan, High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs of Armenia, has insinuated Russia's destructive role in presenting the "true image of the Armenian Apostolic Church's leadership."

At a press conference on Monday, Sinanyan devoted a significant part of his speech to the "distortion" of reality by "anti-state forces" and "well-known foreign centers" and states.

According to him, the structure he heads is trying to explain to Armenians living abroad what the “real Armenia” is and what "mass dissatisfaction" there is with the leadership of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

"Living in the diaspora, our compatriots look at it from a slightly different perspective, and the reality is presented to them in a slightly distorted way, and we must explain to them what is happening and why it is happening. There are forces that are busy day and night misrepresenting such developments, which affects the moral and psychological state in the [Armenian] diaspora and relations with Armenia. They live far away and often perceive the Armenian Apostolic Church as a pillar of [Armenian] statehood in the absence of [Armenian] statehood, and their emotional state prevents them from deeply analyzing this. Taking this into account, we are working patiently with them. Even those who say that this is an ‘attack on the church,’ even those who speak negatively about the behavior of the leadership, simply cannot separate the Armenian Apostolic Church from its leadership,” Sinanyan stated, adding that the Armenian people must stand up and put this leadership in its place.

"The elite of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which has taken a very anti-state position since at least 2022, and is exporting it to the [Armenian] diaspora. There are also other non-Armenia centers of influence. I won't give its name, but you all know that country," Sinanyan said, insinuating Russia.

Speaking about the mood in the Armenian diaspora, he assured that quite respected high-ranking clergy there are also dissatisfied with the current leadership of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Also, the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs of Armenia blamed the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Dashnaktsutyun Party and its “former members” for all of Armenia’s current difficulties. According to him, the ARF “does not recognize either the velvet revolution [of 2018 in Armenia], or its own role in the destructive process that lasted 25 years.”

In addition, Zareh Sinanyan blamed the former Armenian authorities and, therefore, the ARF itself, for the loss of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).