I go to those liturgies where Ktrich Nersisyan’s name is not pronounced. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this during the press briefing after the government cabinet meeting Thursday. He noted this referring to Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and the fact that Father Ruben reported that the National Security Service (NSS) had come to him and suggested that he not pronounce the Catholicos’ name during the liturgy, which will likely take place on the first Sunday.

“We request—when I intend to participate in a liturgy—we request that the fact that we consider Ktrich Nersisyan not to be the Catholicos [of All Armenians] be taken into account. In one case, it may be someone familiar, that may be an NSS employee; in another case, it may be someone who works nowhere; in a third case, it may be an acquaintance; in a fourth case, it may be a relative; in a fifth case, it may be my assistant; in a sixth case, it may be a sixth person. It depends on who knows whom and who has what personal connections. Here the NSS and other institutions are involved only to the extent that someone knows someone. It is not as though priests communicate with state bodies only on the occasion of my attending a liturgy; there are many well-known and not so well-known occasions when they communicate. So, don’t be too troubled by these facts,” Pashinyan said.

He added: “Where I intend to go to a liturgy—not only I, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, but any person subject to state protection—if I must go to a church for a liturgy, from that moment that place is considered an object subject to state protection, and operations are carried out there, including security actions are carried out in the church. Analyses are conducted regarding people’s approaches, their views—whether extreme or not extreme—to ensure security. There is nothing new here.

I am not prioritizing my own security issue; I am prioritizing the security issue of the state and including of the citizens who may be there at that moment. First, ensuring the security of the prime minister and persons subject to state protection is a legal obligation that functions in all countries of the world, and there are several layers of security, including substantive security layers.”

And to the question as to what threat the pronouncing of Catholicos Karekin II’s name pose to his security, Pashinyan replied: “Because Ktrich Nersisyan is a threat to Armenia’s national security.”