On 26 January in Strasbourg, during its winter session, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted the resolution “Progress in the Assembly’s monitoring procedure,” including sections on Armenia and Azerbaijan.
During the plenary debate, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan dismissed reports of persecution against clergy in Armenia as “rumors,” denying any targeting of the Armenian Apostolic Church, while simultaneously repeating allegations advanced by Pashinyan’s government that certain clergymen had called for the violent removal of the authorities, including alleged calls for murder, one of which he claimed was directed at him personally.
This framing carried into the adopted resolution. In its Armenia section, PACE refers to tensions between Pashinyan and the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church and cites reports of alleged clerical plots to usurp power. The resolution reiterates positive assessments of post-2018 elections, urges improved relations between the political majority and the opposition ahead of the June 2026 parliamentary elections, and notes Pashinyan’s intention to hold a constitutional referendum after the vote.
This portrayal diverges sharply from developments on the ground. Over the past year, Pashinyan’s government has openly confronted the Armenian Apostolic Church under the banner of so-called “church reforms,” publicly delegitimized its leadership, initiated criminal proceedings against senior clergy, and systematically framed clerical dissent as a threat to state order, alongside intensified pressure on political opponents.
By embedding references to alleged clerical plots in an official Council of Europe document, the PACE resolution effectively internationalizes Pashinyan’s allegations, reframing a domestic campaign against key institutions as routine political tension. As Armenia approaches the 2026 elections and a potential constitutional referendum, this framing risks obscuring sustained state pressure behind procedural language.
